Intertwined
by BloodyWar2411
Summary: Edward Elric had one of the rarest Cores in the world, but no one could know that. Roy Mustang had one of the only Cores in the world that Ed could bond with, but he was a bastard with a god-complex. Now, because of said bastard and the military's insistence that the academy was important, they had to live together for two months. Ed had survived worse though... right?
1. Staples

**Author's Note:**_ A present for JJ-chan100. _

**Warnings:**_ AU: that means that discrepancies in the storylines of this story and the cannon are on purpose. Don't bother telling me that I'm wrong about where people live or who knows whom. Slash; Hetero; Whatever else I don't consider worth warning you about._

**Disclaimer:**_If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, do you think, I don't know, _anyone_ would have died?_

A silky braid slid lazily over a strong shoulder to rest midway down a toned back, the golden blonde of the hair contrasting nicely against the crimson of a long, baggy coat. Equally golden eyes glanced between the many books surrounding him and the paper he was writing on. The school had handed out laptops upon entrance, but Edward Elric had always liked the feel of paper against skin and the smell that accompanied rarely opened books. Well, that and the fact that Trouble followed him like a persistent, incredibly violent, lost puppy, and he couldn't afford to break his only means of typing up his papers.

A current senior in Central's Academy for Alchemists, Edward lived far from an easy life. His father had abandoned him nearly too far back for him to remember, and his mother had fallen ill and died what seemed like an incredibly short time later. Now, normally this would have been heartbreaking but not a terrible issue. Edward could take care of himself better than most adults. No, the problem was his younger brother, Alphonse. Not to say that Edward didn't love his little brother with every fiber of his being and probably some fibers out of other people's beings, too; Ed's world revolved around the boy. That overflowing love didn't change how much harder it was to support two people rather than one though.

Al was one of the reasons that Ed had advanced himself so quickly. At eighteen, Edward was preparing to graduate with a college degree, probably at the top of his class. He had worked hard for it, too. Ed had never finished high school, instead becoming a State Alchemist when he had turned twelve. He had hated becoming a dog of the military, but it was necessary to put his brother through school. Besides, he had done plenty of reading on the long, lonely train rides. In his mind, that more than made up for the schooling he had missed. He had become known as the Fullmetal Alchemist, sometimes called the Alchemist of the People, but not of his choosing. Most of his left leg and all of his right arm were automail, which he assumed was the reason for his first nickname. The second one came only because he rarely bowed down to his superiors. One might say he had a problem with authority. If helping the people along with (roundabout) completing his missions pissed the higher ups off then who was he to disappoint?

He had thought that maybe he would be stuck doing stupid missions forever, constantly forced back to Winry when he got into situations too dangerous for his automail, but he had been told to take a leave for bonding preparation. When he had taken a placement test to do so, it had put him well above the high school level, and he had flown through the first three and a half years' worth of school in a little under two, making sure to take spare missions over the summers so that Al could have whatever he needed. Or wanted, for that matter. Thankfully, it was much easier now that Al had gotten a full ride to Risembool's Academy for Alchemists.

The State wasn't about to argue over this, knowing that the faster he fully understood bonding (as though he didn't already), the faster they would get him back. In one more semester, he would be done with it and ready to return to his old lifestyle. And by the time his contract would run out – which would be now instead of when he was twenty if they hadn't forced him into the Academy – Al would probably be ready to stand wholly on his own. Ed would decide what he wanted to do with his life then.

Back to the bonding thing: the reason he was still on the government's leash and the reason he was currently pouring over so many books. Only alchemists bonded, and it was a tricky process, so all alchemists had to attend an Academy for Alchemists, though they didn't actually have to study alchemy. Ed was in Central's because the State had insisted such while Al had chosen to attend in Resembool because that was where Winry went and, unbeknownst to her, she was his intended bonding mate. She had an Energy Steel Core so weak that she couldn't even perform alchemy, but to bond, all she needed was to _have_ the Core. Ed didn't doubt that Winry would agree, but Alphonse was just as in love with Winry as he was brilliant, and he wouldn't risk messing anything up until he was completely sure. Ed wasn't jealous that his younger brother had found his intended at such a young age. He was actually very happy. After all, Al had an extremely strong Activation Steel Core, and people would want to take advantage of him because of that.

There were five types of cores, split into two groups: Energy and Activation. Activation Core types, in order of both rarity and strength, were Fire, Steel, Water, Wind, and Earth. Energy Core types, in order of both rarity and strength, were Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, and Steel. Most people with cores could do alchemy, though the opposite wasn't uncommon, but people with Activation Cores had a natural affiliation with whatever their Cores were, and their powers in that field could be legendary. Energy Cores were what Activation Cores drew off of, allowing them even more power and ability depending on how well their cores combined. It was best, of course, if matching cores bonded, but that wasn't necessary. Steel bonded well with Wind and Earth; Wind with Steel, and Water; Water with Wind and Earth; Earth with Steel and Water. Fire bonded well with everything. Well, Activation Fire Cores did.

Activation Fire Cores were incredibly rare. There were only four or five currently (known) in existence, and Energy Fire Cores were even rarer. While most cores could bond with any core, no matter their affinity, Energy Fire Cores had to be with Activation Fire Cores. To prevent there being an unbondable, Nature made sure that there was always one or two less Energy Fire Cores than there were Activation Fire Cores. This gave Energy Fire Cores great sway in the world because those with Activation Fire Cores, usually fairly powerful people, would fight to have such a strong bond-mate. Even weak Energy Fire Cores were extremely valuable, which brought Ed to where he was now.

Ed had an incredibly powerful Energy Fire Core; so powerful, in fact, that he could actually manifest fire as though he had an Activation Core, just not as strongly. If people knew that, everything would change, and a political battle over his bonding would break out, no doubt dragging Al down, too. To protect both himself and Al, Ed hid his knowledge, instead focusing on Alchemy as a whole. He could perform alchemy without a transmutation circle, something which was nearly unheard of, and he could do it with many different types of alchemy.

Ed had been careful not to specialize in anything. People suspected that he had a weak Energy Steel Core and a lot of natural talent because of his relation to his brother, but there was nothing solid. Most people at this stupid school didn't even realize that he had automail. Not that people usually got close enough to him to tell or that he ever left his automail uncovered for people to see, but still. Two years of being studious, antisocial, and rude left people with a dull impression, dissimilating him from the famed image of the Fullmetal Alchemist and leaving them doubting the rumors they had heard when he had first arrived and breezed through nearly every course, many times without even attending the classes.

Now there were only three classes left: Advanced Construction of Transmutation Circles, An In-Depth Understanding of Core Bonding, and Theoretical vs. Practical Transmutations. Ed rarely attended his Advanced Construction class as the homework and test dates were online. His Theoretical vs. Practical Transmutations professor had a soft spot for Ed's natural talent for the subject and only required him to come on test days, granted they would talk for hours over the subject whenever they met outside of class, so Ed was probably learning more than he would have otherwise. An In-Depth Understanding of Core Bonding required much more of his time and attention. It wasn't as though Edward was struggling in the subject; far from it. Professor Armstrong was insistent on his attendance though. The extremely large, extremely muscular, extremely _emotional_ man wanted nothing more than to create a family environment in his classroom, and to achieve that, he was sure that all members of the "family" had to be there.

Ed put the finishing touches on his essay for said blonde man, knowing that it was his own fault for not signing up for the other, less strenuous classes beforehand, but there had been so many more interesting classes to take up until this point. He had the option of taking three courses on bonding or just this one. The deal sounded too good to be true when he had found out, and he was right. This course had classes Monday through Friday for an hour and a half each along with a two month period where a person with an Energy Core had to live with someone with an Activation Core, showing the other a glimpse of what life might be like after bonding.

His immediate reaction had been to opt out and take the three courses. They were nothing he couldn't handle, and the only person he could stand to live with was Al. But time had gotten away from him, and the next thing he knew he was taking the last spot in Armstrong's class. A gloved hand ran lightly over the large book he had just closed, admiring both the texture and knowledge it offered. At least he would get to see what being bonded to someone might have been like though. Ed knew all of the theories of bonding, but actually being in the midst of it was a different story. And he would rather lose his other arm than bond to someone because of the power he could offer instead of actual affection. He was already a dog for the military. He wouldn't be a bargaining chip for some high-end politician, too. Activation Fire Cores were well-known for being arrogant assholes, after all.

"Hey, Pipsqueak, do we have anything due for Armstrong tomorrow?" Ed's lips curled downwards at the comment, facial features reconstructing his usual scowl. The comments didn't bother him nearly as much now that he had grown to a respectable 5'7, but the Devil still towered over him at 6'2, so Ed couldn't say much in defense. Besides, as much as the other man preferred to procrastinate everything, he always got it in on time, so Ed knew that the question was just an excuse to rile him up. Golden eyes rose to glare at the mirthful obsidian orbs in front of him.

"Fuck off, Mustang." Roy Mustang's lips curled into a perfectly egotistical smirk, purposefully letting Ed know that the reaction was exactly what he was going for and sparking pointless irritation deep in Ed's chest.

Ever since Ed's forced enrollment in Central's Academy for Alchemists, Mustang had been trying to tug at his strings left and right. Unluckily for Mustang, Ed had always lived not to get over it but to get even. After all, there had been enough shit he couldn't do a thing about in his life. No reason to let what he could affect skate by unscathed.

Too bad he could never seem to scathe Mustang. The man had the ability to seem insufferably perfect all the damn time. He had thick, ink black locks worn in a casually unkempt manner, giving the impression of carefree trustworthiness. Edward knew the truth though. Mustang was as manipulative as they came. It was no wonder he already had a position as colonel at the young age of 25. And with the ability to play men who are fully used to the calculating dance with ease, it couldn't have taken much effort to become the most sought after man in the school. Aristocratic features, dark as night eyes, full lips and ink black, seemingly feather soft hair were only the tip of the ice berg. He was tall with broad shoulders and a body other military men worked hard for. (Ed had glared hard when Mustang had taken off his shirt in gym, and of course Mustang had seen and smirked condescendingly back.) He had long, elegant fingers that were hidden beneath white gloves, a red transmutation circle helping to focus his powers even more standing out on the back.

Mustang usually wore his State Alchemist's uniform proudly, like the few other State certified alchemists in the Academy, without a crease or wrinkle to be found. He was brilliant at nearly everything. Popular, smart, strong, talented, good looking, high-ranked Roy Mustang got whatever he wanted. He was charming, and he knew it. He had people at his beck and call throughout the school despite the fact that all of his actual friends, none of which were alchemists, were in his Unit of the military. Yet the masses fought for his attention. Maybe because it was obvious that his dream of one day becoming Fuhrer would come true. Maybe because he was one of the only Activation Fire Core holders in existence. Maybe because he was so mind-blowingly powerful even before coming into his Inheritance, and people were desperate to be the one who he decided to bond with. Ed could nearly scoff at that one; Mustang was a womanizer if Ed had ever seen one. Well, more of an anyone-izer. Mustang liked beautiful people, and that wasn't restricted by gender.

Ed himself didn't think that the man was all that great, but a bitter sense of disappointment had a lot to do with his opinion. When Ed had first met Mustang, it had been during orientation week, and there had been a dastardly combination of the junior being smug (rightfully, considering his recent promotion) and Ed being slightly star-struck. He had been excited about meeting someone with an Activation Fire Core, maybe someone who would understand a little of what he was going through; someone he could relate to. Edward walked over and cleared his throat, sure to stand tall and present himself as not-a-sixteen-year-old. The man had looked at him with a helpful smile and a silky "May I help you?" but not quickly enough to hide the calculating look. Ed had seen it enough in his days as a military dog. Mustang would use him just as quickly as anyone else, perhaps even more quickly. Ed's features had twisted into a scowl, hopeful golden eyes turning cold, and Ed forced himself to just walk away. He thought that would be the end of their interactions.

He was, of course, wrong. Mustang, with his connections in the military, followers in the Academy, and best friend being the head of the Investigation Unit, chose to personally irritate Ed on a daily basis. The smug bastard.

"I see you're as rude as usual. Tell me, Fullmetal, why do you dislike me so much?" The sincerity of his question made Ed frown more fiercely, as he knew that any emotion being presented had been carefully weighed out beforehand. He was one of the few people who knew and believed Ed's status as the Fullmetal Alchemist. Ed wasn't nearly as quick to flash his watch as he had been when he was younger. Maes Hughes wouldn't lie to Mustang though, and the man had met Ed on multiple occasions. Not that meeting was necessary for Hughes to have information on him. It only made sense that the friends of a brilliant man would be equally as brilliant, at least in their own fields. One look at Mustang's Unit would prove that theory.

"Because you're a bastard. Do I need another reason?" Ed's voice was naturally gruff with irritation and a practiced intimidation factor that he didn't even think about using anymore. Roy's smirk widened marginally. He found Ed's resistance to his charm amusing.

"Crass words for a kid your age." Two years ago, Ed would have taken that bait, too. Now he only gathered his papers and stood up, preparing to walk away. Being ignored tended to get to Mustang. Not very much, but more than anything else. Ed's black-clad legs carried him towards Mustang and thereby the exit, muscle memory stopping his left leg from hitting the floor more heavily than his right. For a seemingly long moment, Ed felt the urge that he hadn't been able to read about in any book: the urge to lean in and get as close to Mustang as possible; as close to the flames burning brightly inside of the man as possible. He could feel the heat the older man was made of, knew that he could spark whatever was between them and knew that it would be all-consuming. He prided himself on being smart enough to ignore the seductive promises that the colonel wasn't even aware he was making and continue to walk towards the library's exit.

**(***Intertwined***)**

Truthfully, Ed paid a lot more attention to the other students than he did his professors. He wasn't delighted to admit that a lot of his people-watching revolved around Roy Mustang. Not like he had a large amount of control over that. Mustang was in all three of his classes by the devil's luck alone, and he was always the center of attention. Men and women flocked to him, and professors loved to call on him. He always had the answers, too. Maybe not as in-depth as Ed would give them sometimes but still correct. If nothing else, Ed could appreciate intelligence. Even in arrogant bastards like Mustang.

Currently, Solaris Homunculi, also known as "Lust the Lascivious," her brother Gerard, who Ed liked to call Greeling for his greedy nature, Russell Tringham, who thought Ed was all flash and no action, and Sheska, who had Ed's love for books along with everyone else's love for Mustang were surrounding the colonel. The Homunculi siblings were irksome, at best. Tringham enjoyed taunting Ed about how professors played him up too much and insisting that there was nothing special about him. Sheska was good for the occasional conversation but usually got off topic, and the new topic usually ended up somehow being related to Mustang. They positioned themselves around the Flame Alchemist as though they were all trying to gain more access to him than anyone else, and Ed liked to think about how terrible they would be at chess. Well, that was what he liked to do whenever he had no books and decided to attend class simultaneously.

Armstrong usually allowed him his reading days – three or four a week – after Ed's insistence that every family had a bookworm and as long as Ed could properly answer any and all questions. (He could.) Golden eyes roamed over his classmates, knowing that in just two weeks he would be living with one of them. Not Sheska or Tringham, obviously, but maybe Lust, Greeling, or, God forbid, Mustang. At that, Ed's lips upturned ever so slightly. He wouldn't be paired with any of those three, he knew. Armstrong had been _gracious_ enough to have Activation Core holders choose which Energy Core to live with, highest grades first. When Mustang would have eleven other Energy Core holders to choose from, why in the world would he stick himself with Ed? And he was almost positive that Lust and Greeling would rather chew their own arms off than live with him, so there were no worries there, either.

It was much more likely that Ed would end up with another of the Homunculi siblings, Envy or even Scar. Edward wasn't actually sure what Scar's real name was, but he had a bit of an unhealthy obsession with Ed, and his grades weren't terrible, either. Ed was seventy percent sure that Scar was who he would go home with. Then again, Envy loved to challenge Ed, and consequently grate on his nerves, whenever possible. Envy had wanted to bond with Ed for ages now, but the man had an Activation Wind Core, and Ed couldn't work with that. It didn't help that he was annoying. Also, Ed liked taller guys, when guys were the gender in question. He preferred women to be shorter than he was.

Misogynistic? Maybe. Ed wasn't too concerned about it; Winry had clomped him with a wrench far too many times to actually think women were the weaker sex.

"Five minutes to chat! Being social is an important part of a healthy bond, and, much like sleep and food, is necessary to grow strong!" There almost seemed to be glitter dancing behind Armstrong's head, his bulging muscles ready to rip through his regulation military uniform at any moment. Ed was almost positive the man had taken the job to be sure that Mustang got the best instruction, as Armstrong had already confirmed that he would be rejoining the military fulltime once the year was up. Ed turned his head to stare out the window, not really caring what was going on around him. Armstrong always gave them a five minute period in the middle of the class to socialize. Sometimes Scar would sit beside of him, just as content with staring at Ed as Ed was at staring out the window, or one of Mustang's cronies would find it fun to taunt him, but most of the time Ed spent it alone. Contentedly alone.

_Weren't you listening?_

_Being social is an important part of your growth._

The words scrawled themselves elegantly in the air in front of Ed, the flames easily distracting from Ed's view of the window. The blonde offhandedly batted the fire into nothing, not bothering to turn towards its obvious source. Mustang liked to pull these little tricks, but he rarely actually approached Ed. At least, not in public settings. It didn't really matter why. Ed didn't concern himself with the whys of pointless social situations often.

_Come be social with me._

Ed glared at the words in front of him. Was it really so hard for Mustang to accept that someone didn't like him? Lightly clapping his hands together for show, as he was using Core Energy instead of conventional alchemy, Ed tapped his hands on his desk and sent a message back to the beloved colonel. From the reflection on the window, Ed watched as Mustang lightly touch the flames roughly spelling out _"Fuck off, Mustang."_ seemingly fascinated. Golden eyes moved their attention to the people walking about on the sidewalk, once more unconcerned with the activity within the classroom.

Mustang didn't bother Ed for a more than a week after that, but Ed wasn't complaining. Even when he had to go to class after the nice, refreshing weekend, there was only light reluctance. It was one of his reading days, and only a few days beforehand he had stumbled upon the art of combining transmutation circles. It was one thing to create them; combining was an entirely different matter. The non-reading days had been torture; Ed had skipped more than a few meals over things less interesting than this. This time though, even with his book, Ed's attention was drawn to the other members of the class.

The colonel was absent.

For a moment, Ed's brow scrunched, trying to remember if Mustang had ever missed a day before. He was coming up empty. Everyone was entitled to a sick day or two, but it was odd that Mustang would take it, especially on such an insignificant day.

It was obvious that he couldn't form deductions out of thin air and that thin air was what he was working with, but Ed's mind still focused on it. Well, it bounced between combining transmutation circles and wondering what Mustang was playing at. By the end of class, Ed was more focused on his circles than anything else. His mind was lost to the information the texts offered him, and it was pure instinct that had Ed looking up when he exited the classroom.

"Maes." Ed quickly ran his eyes over the lieutenant colonel, immediately on guard by the lack of a happy smile and pictures of Elicia. Maes' glasses glinted from the fluorescent lights above as he nodded at Ed, silently requesting they speak in private. Ed pursed his lips before nodding, closing his book before leaning against the wall and waiting for the last of his classmates to vacate the classroom. Armstrong was the last to leave, and Ed watched as the hallway emptied as well, everyone scurrying to their next classes or home. As soon as they were alone, truly alone, Maes started walking away, and Ed matched his strides.

"Ed, I've had my suspicions for a while now, but I've kept quiet out of respect. You have to know that I wouldn't question you if it wasn't absolutely necessary; someone's life is on the line." He was more serious than Ed ever liked to see him, and Ed's bangs fell into his eyes when he nodded. Maes stopped and moved extremely close to Ed, his breath hot against Ed's ear. "Do you have an Energy Fire Core?" Maes quickly moved back to watch Ed's reaction, but other than the widening of golden eyes, he was proud to say there was none. Normally, he would have just glared and moved on, letting the other party know that the mere suggestion was stupid, but this was Maes, and Maes would never knowingly do anything that could bring harm to Ed. After a slow minute, Ed nodded.

Maes looked both torn and relieved at the same time. They kept walking. No other words were necessary, despite Ed's burning curiosity. They had risked enough by speaking in public about something that was clearly not for common ears. They paused outside of the Academy's infirmary, Ed's mind racing a mile a minute, and a singular nod of confirmation had Maes' hand reaching forward to open the door, the other pushing Ed into the room before too many of the pained gasps and grunts could escape into the hallway. Ed knew that the three doctors weren't usually at the Academy; they were trusted medics of the military. Trusted by Maes, in fact, and that meant trustworthy in general. Their attentions were all focused on the thrashing figure on the bed.

"His Inheritance." Only people with Activation Cores went through Inheritance, though when they would do so was unpredictable, and the stronger the Core, the more dangerous the Inheritance. Most people just got someone else of the same Core type to perform the alchemy that would allow the body to better adjust to the new power of the Core. Fire Cores though… Any non-Fire Core holder would get burned, and fast. No one would be able to touch him, which meant no one would be able to help him. Even if there was a Fire Core holder close enough to Central's Academy to help, they would probably rather let the younger man die. Activation Fire Core holders were naturally competitive, and Mustang was a formidable opponent _before_ coming into his Inheritance. If he made it through this process, Ed couldn't imagine just how much power and influence the colonel would have.

Which was where Ed came in. If Ed could draw enough power from Mustang's Core towards himself, the doctor could perform the alchemy and save the colonel. Or Ed could walk away and let him die.

Golden eyes trailed up Mustang's unnaturally pale, sweaty chest, noting the large burn wound on his left side and abdomen, to a no-longer controlled expression: mouth twisted into a grimace and teeth grinding together, eyes screwed shut and sweat drenching black hair, causing it to stick to an equally pale forehead. If Ed saved Mustang, he would not only be extremely close to Mustang (physically), but his Core would recognize the power as a request. They would have a partial bond (on Ed's side, as Activation Core holders have to be consciously aware of bonding for it to occur) that would have Ed basically going through withdrawals afterwards. It wasn't natural to start to bond and not complete the process. He might, in fact, experience as much pain as the colonel was currently in.

But he would live through it.

A soft breath escaped Ed's lips as he gently sat his book down on a bedside table that had been haphazardly shoved against the wall in the medical team's haste to stabilize Mustang. He pulled off his gloves and coat, placing them with the book before approaching his superior. Maes watched him; concern, relief, worry, regret, and care all fighting for a spot in his eyes. Ed's slightly loose, sleeveless black shirt almost felt like too much with the heat that Mustang was putting off, but he didn't dare shed more. Ed's hand reached out, hovering slightly above the (admittedly attractive) black curls of hair on Mustang's chest before pressing down. Three things happened simultaneously: Mustang's eyes flew open along with his mouth, a breathless gasp escaping his lips; a doctor shouted, "Stop! He'll burn you alive!" her hand reaching forward to stop him; and Ed's eyes momentarily fluttered shut, the pleasure from their Cores being so close rushing through his veins like hot lava.

Then Ed pulled his hand away and held both his hands out, palms up. "C'mon, Mustang, we don't have all day." Probably having no idea what was going on but needing to feel that relief again, Mustang's hands reached forward blindly, searching for Ed's hands with the innocent want of a newborn. Ed's hands clasped Mustang's, and the blonde quickly pulled the older man into a sitting position, maneuvering to sit on the bed, Mustang between his legs a moment later. He let go of his superior officer's hands before taking them again, this time holding onto the backs and pulling the older man's hands up to furl themselves in Ed's hair. Well, they did that on their own, no doubt messing up his braid in the process and, despite the amazing feeling that being so close to Mustang's Core, Ed frowned. His automail leg positioned itself over Mustang's leg, as far down as it could go, and he decided that he couldn't pin the man any better and still give the medics access to the necessary area. Mustang pressed himself harshly against Ed, searching for more contact and trying desperately not to feel the pain of his overloading Core again.

Golden eyes looked up to meet light, intelligent brown, and Ed nodded as best he could against Mustang's steel grip (Good God the man was fucking _sleeping_ and still strong as hell). Maes nodded as well, to the doctors though, and they immediately set to work. Ed watched them closely, never having seen this procedure before, while trying to ignore the way Mustang was _snuggling_ against the crook of his neck, practically breathing him in. The bastard was tying knots in Ed's stomach without his consent, and not for the first time, the blonde cursed his Core. He didn't want to know how good it could feel to bond with someone, even the smug bastard, Mustang, only to have it ripped away from him. Golden orbs traced over every line of the transmutation circle on Mustang's chest with an intensity he didn't feel. He wanted this to be over with already. The frown deepened.

Then a too-bright glow filled the room, and Mustang was peaceful. His grip slackened (though he didn't let go, and his hands were still tangled in blonde locks), his breathing evened out, the harsh lines of his face eased, and Mustang all-around stopped struggling to practically use the same space that Ed was currently taking up. He was just asleep. Ed carefully removed Mustang's hands from his hair, baring his teeth slightly when the colonel's grip tightened again before doing what Ed wanted, and gently slid out from beneath the prone body, allowing the medics to start making the Flame Alchemist comfortable. Maes immediately put his hand on Ed's shoulder in a silent 'Thank you,' and Ed gave a rare, genuine smile in return. After that, the pain consumed him, and Ed was out before he could hit the floor.


	2. Glue

**Author's Note:**_ This one goes to __**DreamKaskade **__for reminding me why I love writing so much._

**Warnings:**_ AU: that means that discrepancies in the storylines of this story and the cannon are on purpose. Don't bother telling me that I'm wrong about where people live or who knows whom. Slash; Hetero; Whatever else I don't consider worth warning you about._

**Disclaimer:**_Not even slightly._

Roy Mustang blearily opened his eyes, feeling halfway like he had been hit by a freight train and halfway like he had just finished an extremely satisfying bout of sex. Rough sex, clearly, but the warm feeling curling in his stomach definitely made the pain worth it. Problem being he couldn't remember courting anyone as of late. There was the pretty blonde woman (Amanda?) from his Advanced Construction of Transmutation Circles class whom he had taken out last week, but they hadn't went past a nice make-out session. Perhaps he had finally taken her to bed? But no… Her kink was pulling his hair, and a headache was one of the few things he didn't have. Perhaps he had decided to take the sexy brunette from the café down the street up on her offer to buy him drinks? That would explain why he didn't remember the actual event, and he distinctly remembered her being a rough lover, but there was still a lack of hangover. Which brought him back to the freight train theory.

Normally smirking lips quirked downwards, and Roy began to take in his surroundings. He was definitely in a hospital of sorts, if the white walls, uncomfortable bed, and scratchy sheets were anything to go by. Onyx eyes moved around the room, not recognizing the exact location but assuming it was at the academy since that was where he remembered being last. He had been on his way to An In-Depth Understanding of Core Bonding when an insurmountable amount of both power and pain had hit him, and Roy had barely held consciousness long enough for Maes to arrive after calling him. After that… Well, who knew?

Dark eyes ceased their scrutiny of the room when they spotted an all-too familiar red cloak hanging on the wall. Roy's eyes immediately shot to the side of the room he had yet to observe, landing on the bed a few feet away from his own almost instantly. Edward Elric was out cold and closer than he had been in almost longer than Roy could remember. Most of the boy's body was hidden beneath the same type of itchy blanket that Roy was using, his body curled into a tight ball, right hand clutching the fabric and left arm bent under his head as a make-shift pillow. Onyx orbs lingered there, taking in the metallic gleam of the automail arm that Roy had never before seen in person.

It was a smooth silver that contrasted greatly next to Ed's sun-kissed skin and made his black shirt seem even more like a hindrance than Roy usually thought. He had known, of course, that Fullmetal had automail, but he didn't think it would be so entrancing. Enticing. Roy wanted to know how it would feel under his fingers. Would the juncture of metal and skin be rough or smooth? Would there be a large amount of scarring? If so, how far would it stretch? Roy had always been curious soul; he was just able to control it better than most people. Mainly because he knew that, with patience, he was sure to get what he wanted in the end.

And he wanted to run his hands over everything that was Edward Elric.

Golden blonde hair fell in messy locks around Ed's frowning face, not quite freed from the braid but mussed up enough to seem like someone had attempted to make it so. At first, the colonel found it humorous that Ed frowned even in his sleep, but after that moment he noted the unnaturalness of Ed's position; the slight tremors of the smaller man's body; the way his facial features were unusually tight. Then again, they were in the infirmary. It wasn't unlikely that Edward had gotten sick and come here to attempt to sleep it off. Roy's eyes ran over Ed once more, this time more slowly and with a calculating glint. Edward Elric hated hospitals. That much information was hard to neither gather nor confirm. Fullmetal would probably rather die at home than entrust his life to doctors. So, why was he here?

The door opened, and Maes calmly walked in, his eyes lighting up as he spotted Roy, and a joyous smile immediately overtook the other man's face. "Roy!" He had the, 'I'm-going-to-tell-you-some-loosely-related-to-this-event-Elicia-story' look in his eyes, and Roy was about to tell his best friend to skip the dramatics and explain what was going on when another voice rang from outside the room.

"He's awake?" Russell barged into the infirmary seconds later, and Roy could tell by the discreet look Maes gave him that whatever had happened, he was the only one that knew, so play along with whatever story had been made. "Hey, Roy. Are you feeling alright?" Russell was a smart, attractive young man – sixteen and already a freshman at the Academy – and he had acted much like Fullmetal at first. He had looked at Roy like the colonel was stupid for being able to play people and like the people were stupid for falling for it. Not that he held out for long. Once Roy turned his attention to the blonde boy, it had only taken days until he was putty in the Flame Alchemist's hands, and his obvious hopes of being chosen to bond with Roy were more than ironic. He had even gone so far as to pull strings and call in favors to make sure he could get into a class with Roy – the class on bonding. Russell was pretty sure Roy was going to choose him, and, truthfully, Roy hadn't decided yet. Two months was a long time to live with someone—to allow someone to wander freely in his home.

Roy flashed Russell a charming smile with just the right amount of gratitude and a dash of reassurance; one that Fullmetal would have seen through in an instant.

"I'm fine, Russell. I just wasn't feeling well is all." Roy assumed that Maes would have kept the story simple and vague, and he was proved correct as the tension left Russell's shoulders, a small smile gracing his lips.

"That's good. You're never sick, so I was worried that you'd been targeted at work or come into your Inheritance or something dangerous like that." He chuckled slightly, as though ashamed at his own ideas, and Roy used his years of hiding behind a mask not to tense. He was certain that he hadn't been targeted at work, but coming into his Inheritance fit the bill pretty well. There was no need for Russell to know how close to (probably) the truth he was.

"Nothing like that. I just had a bit of a fever is all. Speaking of work though, I have something I need to speak with Maes about. Do you mind?" Roy's entire demeanor, ruffled white T-shirt and all, screamed apologetic, and Russell barely hesitated before nodding in affirmation.

"Sure thing. But do you think…" The blonde trailed off, and Roy waited with more patience than he actually had as the younger man's eyes moved over to Edward, "I mean, is it alright for him to be in here?" He was trying to sound concerned, but the jealousy was evident, too. Russell didn't like how much attention Roy paid to Ed.

"He's asleep. If he wakes up, we'll be sure to send him out." Maes answered that time, his ever-caring, loving smile in place, and it seemed to be the correct response as Russell finally gave one last nod and left the room. Roy's eyes searched Maes' before moving back to Edward.

"I take it my Core adjusted well enough?" The answer was obvious; Roy was alive, after all. It was just light conversation, half to confirm his theory; half because Roy wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to ask yet. Maes walked over to the space between Ed and Roy's beds.

"You can say that." Maes was pinning Roy with a hard stare, sizing him up, and the colonel subconsciously sat up straighter, moving his full attention to his best friend.

"What happened?" Roy's question hung in the air for a few minutes, Maes' expression unreadable. The silence hung heavily in the room, interrupted only by Edward's light, shuddered breathing. Finally, Maes responded, tone airy.

"I don't want to lie to you, Roy." Maes held none of his usual playful vigor, and Roy's lips thinned as he read between the lines, unsure of how far he could push the unknown issue.

"But you can't tell me the truth, either." It wasn't a shot in the dark. This situation had to do with Roy, so it was nothing less than loyalty that kept the information a secret. Maes had obligations to someone else not to let Roy know, and it was important enough that the Informant was doing so. Maes didn't respond; they both knew the answer. So, Roy moved on to his next question, aware that he would have to use different means to find out the first answer. "Why is Fullmetal here?"

"He's sick." Roy prompted Maes onward with his eyes, knowing there was more to the story. "I went out while you were with the medics and found him. We chatted for a bit, and then he passed out on me. You know how he gets when he's sick; if I didn't bring him to a doctor, he'd never see one." It made sense, but there was something about the wording that had Roy on edge. Maes was hiding something from him, and it had to do with the blonde five feet away from him.

Which meant he might be able to get the information he wanted about his Inheritance out of Edward instead.

As if hearing Roy's manipulative thoughts, Ed's eyes opened, dilating with the light. The lithe body curled in on itself seemingly out of reflex, as though he was cold, and burning onyx met brilliant gold.

"Fullmetal—" Roy moved towards Ed, hand reaching over the space between them, but he got no farther as Ed's eyelids immediately slid closed, the younger alchemist's breathing evening out almost instantaneously. The colonel stared for half of a minute before realizing that, no, Edward wasn't faking. He had lost consciousness again. "How long has he been like this?" Roy didn't have to look up to see Maes shrug.

"A few hours." The better question: How long had Edward been like that before Maes had stumbled upon him? Roy had been taking special care to observe Edward without interacting the past few days, trying to see if he could find a new weakness to exploit or a way to make Edward come to him without Edward realizing that he was being manipulated. Perhaps if he had kept with his usual tact he would have seen the illness before it reached this stage, and, whether Fullmetal liked it or not, Roy was _more_ than capable of forcing him to see a doctor.

"I'm going back to bed." Roy had a lot to contemplate, and there was no reason to give up a chance to drill Edward without the younger man having an easy escape route. Maes caught the drift and nodded, letting Roy know that the room was open only to the approved medical personnel with a single look.

"Alright, but before I go," Maes reached into his pocket, and in an instant his wallet had unfolded into a dozen or so pictures of his family, the hearts fluttering around him rivaling the sparkles that seemed to perpetually surround Armstrong. "Isn't my little Elicia just _adorable_? This is her in the beautiful blue dress that my beautiful wife made! It isn't confirmable yet, but we think she might have a Core! She'll look so good performing alchemy, don't you think? I can already imagine her in a State Alchemist's uniform; she'll be—" Roy allowed himself to slump back onto the bed.

"Out, Maes." Maes only paused, intent to continue clear, and Roy gave him a hard stare. "Now." Maes sighed in faux disappointment, unconcerned at the abrupt dismissal.

"Okay, okay. You need your rest. I'll show you later!" With a wink and a smile, before Roy could tell him no (as though the word had ever stopped Maes before), the man was gone. Roy rolled onto his side, allowing himself to stare unabashedly at the young man sleeping not-so-peacefully in front of him.

When he awoke again, he was alone, and Roy glanced at his watch to see that it was already eight at night. He stood, collecting the rest of his uniform from the chair beside of his bed and moving to the exit, turning up his lip slightly at the disheveled man that sneered lightly back at him in the mirror. He didn't mind being messy, it looked good on him, in fact, but that didn't mean he wanted to go around looking less than perfect. If one of his higher-ups saw him like this, they would question the lack of his usual professionalism, and the longer he could keep the fact that he had come into his Inheritance a secret, the better. Having the upper hand was nice. Obtaining the upper hand and others believing that they still had it was much, much better.

Roy made his way out of the building and to his car without drawing too much attention to himself. He slipped into his car without a fuss, starting the engine and making his way home with no problems whatsoever. Yet, as he felt the click of the key fitting perfectly into his door, Roy was still frowning lightly. There was no one to perform for right now, and Roy still had no idea what had went down during his Inheritance.

Now that he was thinking clearly, he could feel the new power thrumming through him. It filled every pore of his body and threatened to burst out of him, practically glowing beneath his skin. It was new and familiar at the same time, giving him the feeling of being on top of the world. Which was exactly what bothered him. This was far too much power for the Inheritance process to have run very smoothly. No Fire Core holder, Activation or otherwise, was anywhere near close enough to have arrived at Central in time, so how had he made it through? Was it just dumb luck?

Roy stripped himself as his thoughts continued, noting the light bruises he was obtaining, no doubt from people attempting to restrain him. Normally, he would applaud them simply for trying while shaking his head for the same reason. His skin would have been hot enough to burn others (a self-defense mechanism, evolutionists believed), and only those with a Core of the same type would be able to withstand it, his or her Core taking in the excess energy he couldn't keep to himself.

He stepped into the shower, happy to be out of the roughed-up, slept-in clothes. The hot water nearly scalded him, and Roy hummed at the pleasure of it. His thoughts wandered back to the infirmary and, as they often did, back to Edward Elric. Had he actually gotten better or just woken up and become coherent enough to realize where he was and get the heck out of dodge? What if he had collapsed on the streets on his way back? It wasn't implausible since he had done so in front of Maes (twice) and Roy both. Elegant hands rose to rub the apple shampoo into soaked locks, the flame alchemy transmutation circle a pale scar by now.

As much as he would like to know, he knew that it was no use. If he called Maes for information on Fullmetal, the man would only whisper (so as not to wake Gracia) soothing words and tell Roy to wait to panic until Ed wasn't in class the next day. It wasn't that Roy was obsessed with the blonde; far from it, but Edwards was different from his usual pawns and even from his friends, and Roy loved different. Ed was the puzzle that always seemed to have new pieces falling from the sky, daring Roy to collect them all.

Damn his curiosity.

Roy had only asked Maes about Ed a handful of times: an initial check, once when he took an entire month longer on a mission than he was supposed to, and once to question if the man had plans to stay in the military. Everything else he could find out on his own. Ed's class schedule, for instance, was an easy thing to swindle out of a star-struck intern's well-manicured hands. And smooth-talking his way into said classes? Even easier. The look on the blonde's face when he saw that Roy was in every single one of his classes made the small amount of effort more than worth it.

Water washed away as many of the events of the day as it could, and Roy sighed lightly before stepping out. Thinking about the enigma of the eldest Elric was getting him just about as far as thinking about the events of his Inheritance. He may as well do something useful with his time and read up on making transmutation circles instead.

A sigh escaped Roy's lips. He just _had_ to choose a genius to court, didn't he?

**(***Intertwined***)**

When Roy saw Ed the next day, the younger man was sitting in a little nook in the back of the library, as Roy hoped (_knew_) he would be. He was buried in a pile of books, no doubt preparing to skip Theoretical vs. Practical Transmutations. For a moment, Roy admired the way golden eyes zoomed intently over the words in a book Roy had probably only heard of, blonde hair falling lightly into his face only to be promptly ignored. A clothed arm that Roy now knew first hand was made of sleek metal prepared to turn a page while an equally perfect flesh arm flew across a different page with basically illegible notes. After that moment, Roy's arrogant smirk turned more genuine, and the older man strolled forward.

"Fullmetal." So many students at the Academy believed Roy was only taunting Ed with the nickname, but when expressive orbs jerked up to stare and then (rather quickly) glare at Roy, he didn't know how they could doubt Ed's position. The young man let other people know under no uncertain terms that he was dangerous, and the fire burning brightly behind his gaze told Roy the same thing. Edward didn't bluff. He wore his heart on his sleeve for the world to see and refused to back down from his beliefs. He cared about people, even strangers, and didn't like being told what to do. He fit the bill perfectly.

"Mustang." The word was more terse than usual, and Roy's smile gained a predatory edge. Ed was hiding something, too.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation. Roy pulled up a chair anyways, placing his black overcoat neatly on the back of said chair and graciously sitting down, his legs crossing ankle over knee and his body leaning comfortably back without deteriorating the excellence of his posture. Ed's lips turned downward slightly. The blonde had grown a lot since their first meeting, but he was still a firecracker ready to go off at any moment. Roy wasn't averse to admitting he loved lighting the fuse. "Haven't you ever heard of 'taking a hint'?" Golden orbs didn't hide the irritation Ed felt towards Roy. Roy took his time giving Ed a once-over, ignoring the question entirely.

"Are you feeling better?" The question seemed to take Edward off guard as he blinked, confusion overwhelming irritation, and sat up a little straighter. Ed's eyes searched Roy's for any answers he could find, and the colonel bit back a comment about how Ed really shouldn't look at him like that. Otherwise, Roy wouldn't be held responsible for his actions.

"What?" Ed sounded just as befuddled as he looked, and Roy smirked, the need to patronize the younger man winning out over his concern. Ed wasn't very good at hiding things, and he seemed fine, so Roy was much less worried than he had felt the night before.

"Articulate as always I see. You were sick yesterday; feverish, even. I asked if you're feeling better now. Or do you need me to clarify what feeling better entails?" Dark eyes watched tan skin flush a brilliant shade of pink while Ed's usual scowl turned into a snarl.

"Think you're so fucking clever, don't you?" His voice darkened in anger, and Roy drank in being the center of Ed's attention.

"You said it, not me." Roy's smirk was taunting, and the rage that flashed behind golden orbs didn't escape his notice. Fullmetal had gotten better at hiding his expressions over the years – not getting unnecessarily angry in general, too – but Roy had watched him do so. Every time there was a change in how Ed acted, Roy logged it away for future use, and for that he was just as good at reading Edward as ever. Not that the blonde was incredibly good at hiding how he felt, but he was certainly better than before.

"You're an ass, Mustang." Ed glared harshly at the older male, but when all Roy did was raise both brows, Ed moved his gaze to stare at the book to his left instead, an incredibly light blush dusting his cheeks. Roy's expression became even more calculating, focusing wholly on Edward and his reactions. His shoulders were tense under his signature red jacket, left hand clutching his pen tighter than usual, and lips drawn into a tight almost-pout. "I'm fine now." Golden orbs moved even farther away from Roy without looking too unnatural. "Thanks… You know, for asking."

Edward Elric, always so sure of himself and what he did, was stumbling over his words, and he was doing it because of Roy. Dear God, Fullmetal could rile the colonel up with five little words, and he didn't even know it. Roy cleared his throat.

"You're welcome, Fullmetal." The colonel would admit that his voice had turned to sin, but it was out of instinct. He knew what seduced people best, and Edward being sweet and civil brought out his seducing side. Well, Maes would argue that all of his sides were seducing sides, but some were better suited for what he wanted from Ed than others. The confused look on Ed's face only made it sweeter; he knew that Roy's tone had changed, and he had liked it, judging by the shudder that had run up Ed's spine. He wasn't sure why it had changed though, that much was clear, nor was he sure why Roy was being cordial in return. By the way his features darkened, Roy would say he was quickly coming (jumping) to a (wrong) conclusion.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." Ed slammed the book in front of him shut, not bothering to pick it up and take it with him as he stood. "Just fuck off, Mustang." Roy stood as well, barely managing to keep his grace about him. The blonde briskly walked – stomped, really – around the table and passed Roy, not sparing the older man a glance. Roy strode after him, long legs having no problem catching up to Ed's quick pace, and reached out, elegant fingers curling around Ed's right bicep and spinning the blonde around to face him. Three things happened in that moment.

Edward inhaled a sharp gasp, golden eyes became hooded and lightly glazed over, and a lithe, partially metal body leaned into Roy's touch. Ed was fucking _swooning_. If there was one thing that Roy knew, it was that Edward Elric didn't swoon. Especially not over him. Obsidian orbs narrowed, taking in every aspect of Ed that they could, trying to figure out if he had been drugged or—

Suddenly, Ed seemed to reach the same conclusion about his swooning as Roy had, the younger man snapping out of his almost trance-like state and jerking out of Roy's grasp, self-hatred burning in his eyes. There was embarrassment—no, humiliation—mixed with the fury, and Ed took a shaky step backwards.

"I said fuck _off_, Mustang." Nearly whispered words seemed to help Ed steel himself, and Ed's eyes hardened as he turned and walked away again, not willing to allow whatever had just occurred to happen again. Roy didn't chase after him a second time. There was something he was missing; something big. Something large and convoluted enough to make Edward look at Roy as though his feelings were more than returned when he knew for a fact that they weren't.

Roy had always been a patient man. He had always had a carefully planned out path in mind and was always ready to adjust it as necessary. Now, his plan had to be trashed and remade. He had spent so much time luring Edward closer, pushing and pulling in all the right places, and yet something incredibly important had slipped past him completely unnoticed. Well, fine then. He would create a new master plan, and this one would be equipped with a catalyst.

Secrets could be kept from Roy for a period of time, but he always found out in the end.


	3. Paper Clips

**Author's Note:**_ This chapter goes out to __**UP2L8**__. It's a real honor to have this particular author say that he or she likes my story. I recommend any fans of this story go read Paper in Fire by the author listed above. _

**Warnings:**_ AU: that means that discrepancies in the storylines of this story and the cannon are on purpose. Don't bother telling me that I'm wrong about where people live or who knows whom. Slash; Hetero; Whatever else I don't consider worth warning you about._

**Disclaimer:**_It's not mine._

Edward had tried to avoid Mustang. He really had. But the damn man had practically hunted him down! So what if Ed had hidden in his usual spot? He didn't think that Mustang would actually go looking for him. The man had still been asleep when Ed had awoken, and Maes wouldn't say anything, so he couldn't know about what Ed had done for him. So what if Ed had come to class a little late and left a little early? That wasn't adequate reason to seek him out. Not that it really mattered; Mustang had found him, and, of course, Ed had completely humiliated himself.

After a night of detoxing—his core crying out for a completion of the bonding process and his body trying to reconnect with the part of him that was acting out—Ed had thought he would be alright. Not many people started a bonding process without completing it, so there wasn't much of a study on it, but he had expected it to be painful. Ed had pushed through it though: from stumbling home to making a bath of ice water to help fight down the fever – not to mention the heat his Core was putting off – to curling up in his bed and biting into his good arm until it bled from the pain that was _just_ _barely not enough_ to make him pass out. He figured it was over when he woke up that morning, barely enough time to get to his first class and feeling lucky that none of them started until noon that day.

Sure, the pull of being around Mustang was a little stronger, but Ed didn't think much of it. It was an understandable side effect. When Mustang gripped him though… Edward had never felt more pleasure in his life. In that moment, he would have gladly given the colonel anything that the man had asked for and more. He had leaned in, wanting more of the older man's touch, before he could stop himself, and it wasn't until he saw the way that Mustang was staring at him that he had snapped out of it.

Ed would rather live with this empty feeling in his chest forever than see that look on Mustang's face again – like he was a defenseless kid who had something terribly wrong with him; like he needed saving. Sure, dark eyes had been much harsher in their assessment, more looking for what had been wrong and trying to fix it than judging his helplessness, but that was what it boiled down to. And the older man's ego had probably led him to believe that Ed was really just some fan-boy like all the others, decimating any respect that Mustang may have held for the blonde alchemist.

_Not that it mattered._

Edward didn't care, per say, what the Flame Alchemist thought of him, but he didn't like being looked down upon, either, especially not by arrogant bastards like Mustang. It got to him more when the colonel was the one looking down on him. He didn't know why, and he had never cared enough to figure it out. What could he say? The black haired narcissist had never been at the top of his list of priorities.

And now he was lying face down on his bed, wondering if there was a transmutation circle that would open up the Earth and swallow him whole, like his embarrassment was trying to do. It wasn't all that important, no. It was nothing close to when he had lost his limbs or when his mother had died or when Tucker had—Ed closed his eyes more tightly than before, torn between pushing out thoughts of what had happened to Nina and honoring her memory. He and Al had burned down their house to make sure that Ed would have nowhere to run back to when scared and, no matter Al's protests, they both knew it had been the best choice.

Well, Ed had known. Al had still been too shell-shocked at Ed giving up his arm and leg whilst saving him from losing possibly his everything to fight the decision. The amount of options they had that wouldn't either separate them or turn them into burdens of the Rockbell family were scarce, and, if nothing else, Al had known that. If nothing else, he wanted not to be separated from Ed. Every chance Ed got, he was with Al, and two or three weeks away from Al a month were made up for by seeing the younger (taller) boy happy and healthy. He had plenty to do in Central while Ed was away, and he had made friends in the military base there, Maes being one of the main examples.

Ed wouldn't change that for the world. As many times as he had wished for the company of his little brother, Ed was happy that those bright eyes had never seen the horrors that Ed had. He knew of what Ed went through, of course, but he didn't have to experience it firsthand. Al seeing Nina and Alexander's chimera form was enough. He didn't need to see what had happened to them after that. Edward could handle that burden all on his own.

Now, Al lived in Winry's spare room, and Ed's small military dorm seemed too large. If Al was there, Ed would rant to him, and the younger Elric would know exactly what to say. Al had always been more socially adept than Ed anyhow. Ed turned his face to face the wall instead of attempting to suffocate himself in his pillow.

He had more important things to worry about anyhow. In just three days, he would be figuring out the easiest way to live with another human being who wasn't his brother, and Mustang would be the last thing on his mind. Ed didn't have _time_ to be embarrassed, and that meant Mustang didn't have time to waste thinking about how stupid Ed was, either.

With that knowledge easing his thoughts, Ed drifted to sleep, hungry transmutation circles that swallowed people whole chasing Mustang through his dreams.

When Ed woke up, he was finished with being embarrassed and went to class on time, not really caring about whatever Mustang thought or what he had told any of his cronies. Not caring didn't, however, translate over to not noticing. No one was looking at him any differently; no smug grins (they told him he would fall eventually) or condescending glares (as though he was actually competition). Had it not spread past his inner circle? But no, Tringham looked at him with the same amount of badly hidden distaste as usual. Had Mustang not said anything?

Gold met obsidian, and a perfectly shaped, black eyebrow cocked, as though asking if Ed really thought he would share information for free when he could use it as leverage instead. Or maybe he was questioning if Ed was back to normal. If Ed was feeling alright. _Again_.

Ed returned the question, whatever it was, with a glare. Mustang was being patronizing; that much was for sure. He didn't wait for the usual, irritating smirk to appear before walking to his usual spot at the back of the room. Whatever game Mustang was playing at, Ed wanted no part of it.

The colonel didn't track him down again.

It wasn't an unwanted change, but it put Ed on edge. If there was one thing that Ed knew, it was that Mustang didn't know how to give up. Maybe retreating and waiting for a better time to strike, but not outright giving up. So, what was he waiting for? Ed spent a little less than a day fretting over it. Paranoia quickly became tiring though, so Ed became determined instead to bury himself in his studies. Well, that was what it started out as. After the first few pages, all thoughts of Mustang had fled from his mind, and Ed was more concerned with what he was learning. His notebook quickly filled with scattered notes and rough sketches. Ideas connected and interconnected easily, turning into messily written theories. Every once in a while he would have to flip back to previous pages and scribble notes in the margins. He carried more than a few books home with him, closing his curtains to the dying light outside and delving back into the world of words.

Ed wasn't sure how long this had went on, but he eventually fell asleep, cheek pressed against a thick tome, and it wasn't until his phone rang at his bedside that Ed found consciousness again. A gloved hand clumsily patted around on the small table, trying to find the offending object. Something hit the floor, but the phone kept ringing, so Ed assumed that he hadn't knocked the blasted thing out of its cradle. Finally, Ed's fingers enclosed around the smooth, white plastic, and the blonde was torn between pride at finding it without opening his eyes and irritation at being awoken. Irritation won out.

"What?" His voice was gruff and displeased with whoever was on the other line.

There was a long pause before, "Brother? Did you just wake up?" Golden eyes cracked open. Of course he had just woken up. It was only—

"Shit! I'll call you later, Al!" Had he really slept that long? The phone was halfay to being hung up in its cradle when Ed heard Al's voice shouting, most likely telling him to wait. He brought the phone back up to his ear. "Yeah?" He moved as far as the cord would let him, holding the phone between his ear and shoulder while jerking off his clothes and finding clean ones.

"Remember to call me right after class, okay? Not tomorrow or whenever you finish your current project! I'm not going to be able to feel good about this situation until I know who, exactly, you're going to be staying with." Ed paused in his one-legged hopping attempt to hurriedly pull his pants on to stare numbly at the wall in front of him. It wasn't unusual for Ed to lose track of a few hours, even a few days, but up until this year, he had been used to Al at least reminding him of meals and sleep times. He could admit that he had also put a little too much faith in himself to remember to monitor his time management better than usual.

"Al, what day is it?" His voice sounded a little shaky, even to him, and Al's answer was accompanied with a knowing sigh.

"The fifteenth; Ed did you—" A string of curses cut off Al's question, and Ed quickly tossed out a promised call and a goodbye. Al had probably expected to catch him rushing out the door, not sleeping. Ed started pulling on clothes faster than before, glad he didn't have a large variety so that it was practically impossible not to match. Shoes were messily tied, and his red coat was tossed over his shoulder to be put on while running as he left his room, not bothering to lock it behind him. He slung on his jacket while sprinting out of the dorm, undoing and redoing his unruly braid as he tore through the town, the entire time damning his luck. Out of all the days to be late, it had to be the most important fucking day of the semester.

He slammed the door of Armstrong's classroom open, panting not from the amount he had run but from the way he had run it. Golden eyes looked through golden bangs as Ed leaned one hand on the door and the other on his knee. At least Armstrong knew and liked him well enough to be fine with it. He wouldn't question the fact that Ed had just forgotten to come to class yesterday, either. That was just how Ed was. Ed straightened up, only slightly uncomfortable under all the attention he was getting, and moved his right hand from the door down to his side and his left hand from his knee up to scratch the back of his head embarrassedly.

"Sorry. I woke up late." Probably an obvious statement, but hey. It was the truth. Pink sparkles filled the air behind Armstrong, who was practically glowing as tears streamed down his face.

"Such dedication to your education! You are truly an admirable student! All is forgiven!" The tall, overly muscled, StrongArm Alchemist rushed forward to engulf Ed in a hug, but Ed quickly dodged out of the way, chuckling lightly under his breath at the antics. His chuckling stopped when he bumped into Scar's desk and met the other man's eyes (sunglasses), but Ed was swift about getting out of that situation as well, hastily moving back to his usual seat. His eyes ran over the other occupants of the room, noting that no one was seated any differently than before, and figured that they must have been waiting for him.

"Edward Elric, just as quick on your feet as you are in your pursuit for knowledge! Well, we shan't hold you back any longer! Let us begin!" Armstrong showed off his perfect teeth with a grin, and Ed shot an unsure smile to his professor, wisely choosing not to point out that it was he who was making everyone else wait, not the other way around. Apparently, the others were too eager to get this process over with as well, since no one else commented on it, either. "Alright, Energy Core holders to the right of the room and Activation Core holders to the left!" Ed, who was already in the back, right corner, stayed still while everyone else resituated. The overly zealous professor continued as soon as the students' moving ceased.

"As we know, we are trying to make this as close to a real life situation as possible, so those with the strongest Activation Cores, or in this case the highest grades, will choose an Energy Core holder first, and Energy Core holders will have no choice but to go along with it. I know this may seem unfair, but if nothing else, I have taught that Energy Core holders often don't have a choice in their intended, as they can't stop a bonding from occurring, unlike Activation Core holders. I don't believe this should be too much of a problem, however, as we have all become great friends in these first few weeks, and I'm sure that our lovely Activation Core holders will choose only the closest of friends to live with!" Ed scoffed at that; half the Activation Core holders in the room could probably be clinically classified as sadists. "Now, without further ado, Roy, choose your faux Intended for the next two months!" Armstrong's shirt ripped as he spread his arms in a show of Mustang's newfound freedom to choose.

Mustang stood from his chair, graceful as ever, and gave a sweeping glance around the room. Tringham perked up, positive that he would be chosen, and Sheska peeked up through her banks hopefully. Ed crossed his arms over his desk and laid his head on them, not really caring who Mustang would choose. Mustang's eyes met Ed's, and the man offered a cocky smirk that Ed sneered back at.

"Edward Elric." If the class hadn't been silent before, it was certainly silent now. Half of Ed was positive that Mustang had just chosen an extremely inappropriate time to start a conversation. The other, more realistic half knew that his fate for the next two months had been sealed. It was no wonder why Ed chose to go with the first half.

"Mustang, did you hit your head?" Surely it was one of the colonel's pranks. Except Mustang's smirk only got more devious, and Ed knew it was wishful thinking. Slowly, reluctantly, knowing that there really wasn't anything he could do about this situation, Ed rose from his seat and made his way to his superior officer. Golden eyes closed to block out Mustang's smug expression, but that only made him hyperaware of the older man's Core. It was so much more powerful than it had been before coming into his Inheritance, and Ed could feel his own Core begging to reach out. Ed chose to face the daunting smirk instead.

Mustang had held out a hand for Ed to shake, probably wanting others to see how Ed reacted to him, and Ed had never been more thankful to have automail or for Mustang to be right handed. He sneered as he clasped his automail hand in Mustang's larger, glove-covered hand, and was more than relieved that he couldn't feel the shock of pleasure through the false appendage. Ed pulled his hand back the moment Mustang's grip loosened, mind racing in an attempt to figure out a way to live with Mustang without actually coming in contact with him.

Despite whatever protests he or anyone else had, class went on, other people paired up, and, at the end of the day, Mustang drove Ed back to his dorm room so that he could pack.

**(***Intertwined***)**

Ed angrily shoved the few things he owned into a large duffel bag; the only things that weren't clothing consisting of his toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, a few hair ties, his few journals of notes, pens, pencils, and a small book of pictures Al and Winry had taken throughout the years and compiled as a birthday present. The bag was tossed over his left shoulder, and the books that had served to distract him before were cradled in his right arm. He would call Al on Mustang's phone so that the younger boy could get Ed's new number. Mustang's number. Ed stomped needlessly down the stairs and out the door, slamming it shut behind him. He swung open the back, passenger-side door of Mustang's car and placed his things in the back, shutting it only slightly less violently than the door to the dorm.

"You need help carrying the rest down?" For once, he didn't seem condescending, and Ed found he wasn't in the mood to deal with any side of Mustang, no matter how much nicer it was than usual. Ed narrowed his eyes in exasperation as he slid into the front, passenger seat.

"That's all there is." Mustang narrowed his eyes back at Ed's claim.

"You'll be at my place for two months. This is no time to be choosy about what to bring. Trust me, there's plenty of room for whatever else you want to bring." The colonel had a hint of pride to go with his mountain of I-know-more-than-you covered narcissism. Ed crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, slamming himself back into his seat and staring determinedly forward.

"Not all of us have a mountain of cash at our disposal, Mustang. I cleaned out the room when I packed, and that's it." Ed had never seen the need to own much. It wasn't as though he had a stable home to put it in or even cared for very many material things. He'd probably just buy books, food and chalk with it. As is, he put whatever was left over at the end of the month in a savings account for a rainy day. He could feel the other man's stare on him just as well as he could feel his shirt on his back, but the Alchemist of the People didn't turn his attention away from the road. He had been pissed off quite enough today, thank you, and every occurrence had been at Mustang's hands.

Mustang apparently found whatever answer he was looking for as he started the engine and drove away from the building Ed had more or less lived in for the past seven years. The ride was spent in silence, and when Mustang pulled into a large driveway next to an extravagant house, Ed wasn't really surprised. The inside was just as fancy as the outside, but it was far homier than Ed had originally predicted. Instead of a stale, office-like (because all Mustang really cared about was work) or cold, store-like (just to show off to his flocks of sex friends and higher officers) feel, it was actually really nice.

If Ed ignored how high class it was, he might go so far as to say that it reminded him of his old home. Pictures were placed tastefully on the walls of the living room, two of him with Maes and his family (one at Christmas, one on a random day at the beach), one of a party with what Ed presumed was Mustang's Unit, one just of Elicia, probably at Maes' insistence, and one of just Maes and Mustang, much younger and with dog tags, so most likely while they were still recruits. Mustang snapped behind him, and Ed's attention was drawn to a large fireplace.

"The kitchen is through there with the dining room just past it, and the bathroom is to your left; feel free to make yourself at home." Mustang dropped his keys in a small glass bowl on the table beside the front door and hung his sleek, black overcoat on the hook on the back of the door before making his way to the staircase. "Your bedroom is this way." Ed gripped his books tighter and readjusted his duffel bag before following the war hero. They walked up the staircase, Mustang far more at ease than Ed, and it opened out to a hallway with three closed doors and one door-less entranceway leading to what looked like a pleasant sitting room. Mustang pointed to the door at the end of the hallway, most likely the master bedroom. "That's my room. You'll have to go through there to get to the shower, so be sure to knock first." He motioned to the room on the left of his bedroom next. "That's the study room, you can use it if you like, but try not to move anything. I'm an organized man, and, in that room especially, everything is exactly where I like it to be." Finally, he walked over to the door between the sitting room and his bedroom, giving Ed the impression that he should follow.

"Now, I didn't exactly have a guest bedroom before this, so I just bought a dresser and bed for you and put them in the room I thought you would like most. Hope you don't mind." Ed frowned at that, but he could hardly find it in himself to be snarky when the door opened to reveal a large library with a twin bed sitting nicely in the corner, just far away from the wall enough to be able to reach the books behind it, and a dresser a few feet away from the bed under the same conditions. Ed walked inside in near awe, barely managing to drop his things on the bed before wandering over to one of the shelves and beginning to read over the titles. Some he had read, but some he had never heard of before, and there were even a couple that he had searched multiple libraries for but was never able to find. It was one of the latter of those categories that Ed pulled off the shelf and opened up.

A page and a half later, Ed was snapped out of his own little world by the sound of a man clearing his throat. Golden eyes snapped up, and Ed felt the heat rushing to his face. He had legitimately _forgotten_ that Mustang was there! Ed licked his lips, trying to think of some excuse to make, but nothing came to mind, and he could only offer an embarrassed grin.

"I take it you're alright with your current arrangements? If not, I can-" Ed quickly interrupted Mustang, holding up the closed book in one hand as a silent, 'Stop.'

"No, no, this is good!" Yeah, it was probably more of a carefully executed move than a well-this-room-is-easiest-to-work-with type of thing, but if Ed had to live with the bastard, he may as well take full advantage of it, right? Besides, he had been searching for the book in his hand for three years; not even his pride could deprive him of reading it now. Ed lowered his hands, not liking how easily he was playing into the other man's plans but unwilling to give up this room now that he knew he could have it. "Thanks." It was really the _least_ Mustang could do after Ed had saved his life, but the older man wasn't aware that Ed had done so in the first place, so he supposed this would make them even.

"My pleasure." Ed frowned at the smirk, knowing he had just fed the fire that was Mustang's ego, "I'll be in my room if you need me." At that, Mustang turned and left the room, and Ed gave a final glance at the book in his hands, reassuring himself that it would be there when he got back, before gently setting it on the bed and following the Flame Alchemist.

"Wait a second!" Mustang paused halfway to his room at Ed's insistence, looking back with a half-curious, half-bored expression. "Why did you pick me?" Ed had never been one to beat around the bush, and Mustang obviously knew this as he didn't look surprised at Ed's abruptness.

"Who knows? Maybe I'm just really into blondes." And then he turned away and walked the rest of the way to his room, Ed sputtering all the while.

"But-but Tringham is—" Mustang shut the door behind him, and Ed cursed at him for a full minute before making his way back to his new room, taking only minutes more to forget everything that had just occurred and lose himself in the pages of a book.

**(***Intertwined***)**

Roy hadn't originally planned for Ed to be the one he lived with. Ed was the type of guy that needed to fall slowly and then have the realization of romantic relations smack him in the face. Roy was good at being patient. He had plenty of time to lure Ed in and plenty of willing bodies (checked and clean) lined up to sate him until he was close enough to Ed to begin courting him traditionally. Being forced into a situation he didn't want to be in would only push them farther apart.

Unless, of course, Roy played his cards right. The more he was willing to risk, the more he could gain. There were two very good reasons he had avoided this move in the first place. (1) Ed was an unpredictable player. As soon as Roy would feel confident that he had the blonde figured out, a whole new layer would suddenly be revealed, or he would be sure that Ed would do something, and the boy would turn around and do the exact opposite, rendering all of Roy's careful planning null and void. (2) At this accelerated rate, if Roy messed up, that would be it. There would be no do-overs or fix-ups. Ed wouldn't come back to Roy; not ever; not in a way that could ever breed any sort of trust between them again.

But Ed was hiding something from him now, something that had to do with Roy. Something that had to do with _both_ of them. Roy couldn't let that happen. He had to know what was going on. It would be hitting two birds with one stone if he could find out what had happened during his Inheritance (leading to this _thing_ between them) and get Ed to fall for him at the same time. As long as Ed didn't figure out that he had secondary intentions along with the courting, they would be fine. Otherwise, the younger man would look too far into Roy's intentions. He had more than once referred to Roy as a "morally bankrupt colonel with a God complex," so it wasn't out of the question to think that Ed would jump to conclusions over why Roy wanted them together.

Roy would be careful though, and everything would proceed as planned.

The colonel sipped his coffee contentedly, enjoying the calm before the storm. Said storm proceeded to walk down the steps and enter the kitchen. Edward was pleasantly ruffled up, hair mussed from sleep and messily tossed into a high pony tail. He had his usual, black pair of pants on along with a loose yet fitting, sleeveless, black top. That was all. Tan feet poked out from under the ends of fringed black trousers, and strong arms were bared for the world to see; one tan and toned, the other silver and covered with grooves and rivets. Roy had known that Ed was far from shy about his automail, but he had never had firsthand proof of this fact. Ed's eyes met Roy's own, and they had a stare-off before the younger of the two spoke.

"Mind if I use your phone?" Roy shook his head in a negative motion, hand raising to wave Ed towards his phone on the wall. He took another sip if his coffee as Ed turned away from him, obsidian orbs trailing down a strong backline to a trim waist and settling on a firm ass. Long legs shifted as Ed dialed a number on the phone, clearly not giving a damn whether Roy heard his conversation or not. Well, if Roy was being offered free intel, he wasn't going to turn it down.

"Hey, Al, I know I said I would—" Ed stopped talking abruptly, presumably because his brother had cut him off, and shifted his weight again. "I know, I know. I'm sorry! I just got caught up and—" He trailed off this time, and Roy guessed that they had been trying to speak at the same time and Alphonse had won out. There was a longer pause than before, Ed tensing lightly before, finally, "Roy fucking _Mustang_." Personally, Roy was just impressed that Ed was able to say his name with so much distaste right after being so adorable the night before. "Yeah, him." Ed shifted again, running his free hand through his bangs. "I'll be fine. If the bastard tries anything, I'll kick his ass and be done with it." Roy scoffed at that, but Ed's only response was tossing up his middle finger. "Since when have I been a cause of worry?" Ed laughed at the obvious joke before continuing, "Alright. Tell Winry and Granny Pinako that I'll visit soon, and Al?" A shorter pause. "I'll be fine. I promise." A few more seconds passed, and then Ed hung the phone back on the wall.

"That was touching." Was Roy mocking Ed? Yes. Did Ed's near growl of irritation and muttered obscenity make Roy want to do it again? Yes, indeed.

"Shut it, Mustang." It was a quiet jab, and Roy immediately gathered that, save for his brother, Ed wasn't a morning person.

"Now, now, Fullmetal, with how much you tell me to stop talking, I'm beginning to think you only like me for my body." Roy smirked at Edward, who only looked and him and deadpanned,

"Took you long enough." Then blonde hair swung around so that Ed could raid Roy's fridge. Roy coughed to hide a chuckle, a genuinely amused smirk concealed from the world by a conveniently placed, gloved hand.

"What can I say? I expected better from you." Ed didn't respond to the colonel's jab directly, instead shutting the door to the fridge and rifling through Roy's cabinets and drawers instead. "You know, you could always just ask me where something is." By the time Roy spoke, Ed had already pulled a box of cereal down from the fridge and found a spoon. The younger man scoffed, not pausing his search, and a few seconds later Roy spoiled it for him. "Two cabinets to your left." Edward paused, huffing in irritation, before moving to the correct cabinet and retrieving a bowl.

"Bastard." But there was little to no venom in the word. Ed took his seat across from Roy without looking at him again, easily pouring his cereal into the bowl and beginning to eat. Black eyes blinked.

"You know, I really didn't think you'd need me to tell you this, but the milk is in the fridge." Edward looked up from his meal – if it could be called that – with a scowl.

"I don't drink milk, Mustang." A smirk tugged at the edge of the elder male's lips. It wasn't just that Ed didn't like milk. He almost seemed repulsed by it.

"You could always make an omelet." Or anything other than dry cereal. To emphasize his point, Roy took a bite of his own omelet, which, if he was being modest about it, tasted amazing. Ed muttered something into his cereal in response. "Fullmetal?" Ed wasn't one to mutter. Gold eyes snapped up, lips twisted into a frown.

"I said I can't cook! Happy now?" Roy blinked once. Twice. And then a smug, mocking smirk made its way to his features. Ed's scowl deepened at its appearance, but Roy was being nice. He could have laughed. He had wanted to laugh.

"Would you like me to cook for you?" Mocking Edward had always been one of Roy's favorite pass-times. Edward's glare harshened before lightening up, and suddenly a cocky grin was on Ed's face.

"First day and you're already making me breakfast? And here I had you pinned as a commitment-phobe." His elbows were on the table, mismatched fingers threaded together to make a seat for his chin. His body language screamed arrogance, but it was what wasn't broadcasted that interested Roy. Ed hadn't said no, and that spoke much louder volumes than anything else. Lots of things were obvious with Ed; Roy enjoyed looking for the subtleties and exploiting them for his own pleasure.

Slowly, turning on every charm-switch he owned, Roy stood and, while passing by Ed's now confused figure, whispered, "I told you already, Fullmetal. I'm _really_ into blondes." Soft blonde locks tickled Roy's nose, the smell of chalk, old books, and something musky, something more dangerous, made its way through Roy's senses before the moment ended and Roy continued on his way to the fridge. Ed wanted Roy to stumble in his act, but Roy had been playing at this game far longer. The blush on Ed's face was more than enough evidence of that.

If Ed blushed that fiercely without Roy even touching him, what would he do when—

"Wait, you're seriously making me breakfast?" Roy laid the ingredients out on the table, ignoring Ed's question. Whatever conclusions the blonde would jump to would work better in Roy's favor than anything he could come up with on the fly. "Why?" Well, Edward had never been one to waste time.

"Are you saying you don't want it?" After years on the road and an apparent inability to cook coupled with the usual lack of money both for Alphonse's schooling and damage control, Roy would bet that Ed wasn't one to turn down a free meal. Especially not a home-cooked one. Roy glanced back, a taunting smirk firmly in place if only to make Ed squirm a little more. The blonde glared fiercely, defensively, but he didn't say anything, and it was delicious. A speechless Ed was rare.

The omelet was easily separated from the pan, and minutes passed easily in silence. Easily for Roy, anyhow. Ed was burning a hole in the back of the colonel's head. He plated the food and sat it in front of Ed without any sort of flourish, knowing that the lack of his usual finesse would only confuse and irritate the blonde more. Long legs carried him back to his own seat, and Roy ignored his own food to pin Ed with a lazy stare.

Ed moodily stabbed the food with his fork, giving Roy a pointed look before stuffing it gracelessly into his mouth. He paused in his chewing, looking at Roy in a light that made him have to physically stop his lips from curling upwards before the blonde's throat bobbed to signal him swallowing. Instead, he kept his expression lightly curious, waiting patiently for the inevitable.

"You're a bastard. You know that, right?" And his smirk could finally come through. Ed was both all over the place and alarmingly predictable at the same time. Roy often knew what direction he would go, but what he would do once he started down that path? It was like a fireworks show. He only knew that it was going to explode, not what color or shape it would take.

"So I've been told." Many, many times. And not just by Edward, either. As much as he wanted to help the country and the people in it, this was a political battle, and people were bound to get, at the very least, pissed off. Edward only hummed as he continued to eat, stuffing the food into his mouth far less gracefully than Roy. That was probably one of the largest, most notable differences between them. Ed's grace was always natural. The way he walked, fought, and even when he was simply trying to piece together a complicated hypothesis was just however he felt like doing it. He never put on a show for other people to watch and form opinions on. Roy's grace, far more than Edward held at most points in time, was duly calculated.

Sometimes it was overpowering, letting people know who, exactly, was in charge within seconds. Sometimes it was subtle, just enough to be noticed but not enough to fully entrance or intimidate. And sometimes, when he was at home after a long yet not particularly rough day, he had a lazy, natural grace about him. At this point, Roy's grace was subtle; just enough to piss Ed off and nothing more.

Of course, Ed's added irritation hardly made an appearance through his usual demeanor. He just continued to shovel food into his mouth, uncaring how he looked in front of one of the military's most prominent officers, and Roy waited until the food was nearly gone, his own, lesser plate included, before speaking again.

"How did you sleep?" Ed blinked at the question, finishing off his meal before bothering to answer.

"What's it to you?" Defensive. Roy loved it when Ed distrusted his charms. He hadn't known he found intelligence _so_ attractive until he had met Ed.

"Just making polite conversation." Roy smiled. And Ed looked at him as though he was no more trustworthy than a television villain before downing his entire glass of orange juice, drawing Roy's eyes to his bobbing Adam's apple. The glass clanked against the table as Ed (violently) set it down.

"I didn't." Roy cocked a brow at the response, wondering both if Ed was really that on guard about being in his house and what had mussed up his hair if not sleeping. "Arrogant bastard. It's got nothing to do with you. I just got caught up in reading is all." Roy could understand that. He had spent enough nights pouring over the science of flame alchemy, battle strategies, and politics.

"What about?" Roy was truly interested in which book Ed had started with, but the distrust that Ed still eyed him with certainly wasn't unfounded. The information may or may not be used for Roy's benefit later. The pause didn't last nearly as long this time, and Ed started talking once more, his eyes completely focused, but not on Roy.

"The rules of equivalent exchange state that we have to give up what we get, but this book is one of the original works expounding on why and how. It even has mentions of The Gate. A lot of the science is out of date, of course, but if it's actually a molecular rearrangement like this book implies than the combination of circles can be done without the algorithms used today. And with what we now know about The Gate, putting this information into action would hardly take any time at all. It may even be possible to manipulate the rearrangement itself to make the final product more stable. You put in the same ingredients, but that doesn't always make the end-product quality. Usually that takes more concentration and specifics in the circle that most people either don't bother with or don't know about. By taking these theories into account—" Ed stopped abruptly, hand going to the back of his head (most likely out of habit). "My bad. I'm used to bouncing ideas off of Al." He certainly didn't _look_ sorry, but there was a tinge of offhanded apology in his voice.

"You're fine. How does molecular rearrangement being the process change anything?" It seemed like however the alchemy worked – science or magic or The Gate or whatever – didn't matter all that much as long as it did, in fact, work. He had assumed that as long as they could manipulate the overall reaction that was what mattered, but if these theories could make the alchemy stronger… Ed looked at Roy for a moment before biting his lip, probably thinking about how to explain it. As much as Ed didn't like talking to Roy, he loved talking about theory.

"Because we choose symbols and arrangements based on what we need. Symbols are added today to increase the quality of the product, but if it's the molecular arrangement than changing some of the symbols slightly or adding a singular concentration symbol should have a major impact on quality control. I haven't tested anything yet to be sure, but the way we arrange them now is based on being able to form a connection with the starting materials and the end product, and if we take it a step farther with the molecule theory than the arrangements of our circles can become more precise without all of the extra work. And as long as I can figure out the implementation of this information, Al can publish a paper on it. This information getting spread could help a lot of people." Ed was focused on something Roy couldn't see again, his mind visibly racing with all the information he had taken in. Roy took a shot at the information that mattered at the moment and cataloged the rest for later.

"Why Al and not you?" Roy half-stared at his house-mate, curiosity light enough to both make the question feel casual and keep his burning curiosity out of sight. Ed eyed him for a long minute, this time with more wariness, before running his tongue across his incisors and deepening his frown.

"Very funny, Mustang." Before Roy could do anything more than scrunch his brow in confusion, Ed was standing, his musculature flexing from the motion, and moving from the room. Roy stayed put, choosing to wait for more information before acting again. Besides, it looked like he had reading to do.

What in the hell was the _current_ theory for why alchemy worked, anyhow?


	4. Knots

**Author's Note:**_ I have received nothing but positive feedback on this, and I have to say that you all are making this even more fun to do. I love writing, and college is starting back soon, but I'll try to keep the quick-updates coming. Thank you all so much. Really._

**Warnings:**_ AU: that means that discrepancies in the storylines of this story and the cannon are on purpose. Don't bother telling me that I'm wrong about where people live or who knows whom. Slash; Hetero; Whatever else I don't consider worth warning you about._

**Disclaimer:**_It's not mine._

Roy awoke to the sound of his door clicking as the knob was turned and opened his eyes ever so slightly to watch his intruder enter through thick lashes, discreetly slipping his glove on under his pillow. Of course, his fingers immediately relaxed from their snapping position when he spotted golden locks. Ed was trying (and failing) to sneak into Roy's room unnoticed, but if the reports were anything to be believed, stealth was never his strong suit anyhow. The question was why. They still had a good hour or so before getting up should have even been considered, and even then there was a snooze button for a reason. Ed paused on his way by the bed, giving Roy a view of both his well-defined abs and the towel draped over his shoulders. If it was lighter, he'd probably be able to make out specific battle wounds as well. Ed tilted his head, staring for a long moment before snorting derivatively and finishing his walk to the bathroom. Once the water started running, Roy allowed himself to open his eyes fully.

Ed didn't seem like much of an early riser, and he certainly hadn't went to sleep early. So, what had him up? Roy closed his eyes again, his non-gloved hand running lazily through unkempt locks. He could always just go back to sleep. His hand stilled as his lips tugged into a frown. Go to sleep when Ed was naked and covered in water less than fifty feet away?

Right.

Roy rolled over and buried his face in his pillow, unwilling to get up just yet. It wasn't like class was going to start any earlier, and he didn't have to go to work until after classes ended, so there really wasn't a reason for awakening yet. Not a reason that he wouldn't want to use the shower for, anyhow. After all, there was no telling when Ed would get out of the shower, and that would be a fairly precarious position to be caught in.

Well, for the moment.

When the bathroom door opened again, so did Roy's eyes, and obsidian met gold for a moment before Ed sneered, making his way back out of the room in the seconds that followed. Roy didn't miss the way those brilliant orbs had swept over his naked chest first though. Ed was attracted to him. It was obvious, if not for the quick glances and the _swooning_ (which really didn't suit Ed) than for the way Ed had glared when he saw Roy changing for gym class. Ed didn't like Roy himself, but he did like Roy's body, and that was a step in the right direction; a direction that would have golden orbs hazing over in pleasure while they—

And now he needed the shower.

Roy sighed, tossing off the covers and standing up in a single motion. He tugged off his glove and tossed it onto his pillow, and, having nothing else to take off, strode into the bathroom. It looked like he would need the extra time Ed had provided him with after all.

After washing rather thoroughly, Roy found himself perfectly in uniform and alone in the kitchen. Ed had an appetite to rival an army and had been awake for who knew how long. Why wasn't he rifling through Roy's pantry by now? Curious eyes swept the empty room once more before Roy traveled back up the stairs, stopping outside of the library so that cloth-encased knuckles could rap on the door.

"Fullmetal, it's almost time to go." No response. "Fullmetal?" The house was eerily quiet when there should have been a loud, disgruntled blonde. Fingers ready to snap, Roy entered the room anyhow, stopping short the second he stepped in. The library had been, for lack of a better word, wrecked. Books were strewn about all over the floor and furniture with seemingly no coordination, notebooks and pieces of paper with illegible scribbles were lying randomly about, and Roy could just make out chalk marks underneath some of the mess. Edward was nowhere in sight. A frown tugged at Roy's lips as he overlooked what was once an immaculate area. He wasn't one to jump to conclusions, but it looked an awful lot like Ed had left without him.

Roy closed the door softly behind him, knowing that if he went too fast it would blow the random papers around and mess up whatever kind of 'order' Ed had them set up in. He had expected Ed to be difficult, but this was just childish. It was a fucking ride to school; a trip that Roy had to make on his own anyway. By the time Roy started his car, the mild irritation had simmered down to curiosity and the need to plan.

Did Ed just not want to be seen with him? It was a fine possibility, but it was also basically nullified by Ed's lack of care for what people thought. Maybe he wanted to check out his new surroundings, what with his attraction to anything and everything troublesome. But why not do that in the daylight? Despite today's oddity, the weekend along with Ed's many nearly-late to late days in class pointed to Ed being a late-riser. There had to be something he was missing (a conclusion he was coming to irritatingly often with Ed). Roy pondered it as he walked through the schoolyard. He was no closer to an answer as he entered the classroom, but when Edward came into view, sitting in his usual seat by the window reading away, all he wondered was how he hadn't thought of this in the first place. Ed was trying to show him that even if they lived together, nothing was going to change. He was asserting his independence.

Well, that wasn't something Roy was trying to take. He wanted Edward _because_ the man was so independent. Years in the military had done absolutely nothing to his rebelliousness, if that was any indication of his ability to be swayed. Edward wasn't something that could be captured or tamed. The goal wasn't to snuff out Ed's flame but to get close enough to feel its heat. He didn't know what it was about Ed, but the younger man made him feel… _alive_. Al he wanted was the chance to return that feeling.

Roy walked over to his normal seat. If Ed wanted space, he could have it. They would close the gap in time.

"C-congratulations." Sheska 's soft voice caught Roy's attention more so than usual as it wasn't at his side. Obsidian orbs slid over to look at the source of the voice, his body positioning to appear as though he was paying more attention to whatever Russell was rambling on about. Sheska had approached Ed, who still hadn't looked up from his book. She fiddled with her hands nervously, fidgeting under the pressure of speaking to Ed without the blonde initiating the conversation.

"Roy, I know this is part of some bigger picture, but I don't understand what that picture is. Why him?" Russell continued his rant, but Roy just gave a mysterious, I-won't-answer-you smile while focusing on what Sheska had to say.

"I-I know you didn't—didn't really like the c-colonel, but I'm really ha-happy for you." It was clear that she had been hoping to be chosen herself, but her happiness for him was sincere. Ed scribbled something else on his paper, not even pretending to pay attention to her. It took quite a few conversations in the library for Roy to realize that Ed wasn't doing it on purpose; he was just too absorbed in his own world to take reality into account. Maes never let Roy live down that he had figured this out in one meeting while Roy had taken three, but Ed ignored him on a regular basis, so it was different. Sheska fidgeted more as the seconds slipped by, the blush creeping up her cheeks showing that she thought she was being deliberately ignored. As far as Roy knew, the poor girl had only ever spoken to Edward as he entered or left the library, not when he was in the middle of his research.

Another minute passed before Sheska bowed her head and hurried back to her usual place around Roy. She was embarrassed and ashamed. Perhaps a part of her crush on Ed remained even after all this time. That was why Roy had enchanted her. It wasn't like she could be with Ed anyway; they both had Energy Cores. They could never bond. He was stopping the inevitable heartbreak where it stood. Besides, Sheska was too gentle for Ed. He needed someone to challenge him; to take care of him. Just the same, he needed someone he could take care of; someone to be his equal. Sheska just wasn't suitable for the job. It was much preferred that she would break her heart on Roy to Ed, just in case the other man (assuming he would ever notice her interest) decided to give her a shot. It was much harder to get over a man who gave her a chance than one who was forever a fantasy.

Roy made sure to make eye contact, giving her a gracious smile along with a mouthed 'thank you.' He would have said it aloud, but he wasn't in the mood to listen to Russell's whining at being interrupted. Especially when the answer to why he was being interrupted revolved around Edward. There was a rivalry between the two that only Russell acknowledged. Roy found it mildly entertaining, honestly.

The older of the Tringham brothers had plenty of flaws, his quickness to jump to conclusions being one of them, but he was a good man overall. He cared about his brother more than his own life, and, much like Edward, was working towards giving his younger sibling a better life. Roy had met Fletcher on a few occasions, but the younger brother didn't strike Roy as anything special. Not like the one time he had met Alphonse. Brilliance ran in the Elric family, and while the Tringhams were bright, they just couldn't compare.

The colonel's attention was forced back to the front as Armstrong entered the room. Unlike Ed, he couldn't afford not to pay attention.

**(***Intertwined***)**

One week. One week of leaving early and reading everything he could get his hands on and creating new notes and theories and _avoiding Mustang_. One week and Mustang had finally decided to end his peace by knocking on his door. And speaking. Continuously.

"Fullmetal, you have to eat eventually. Come down already." He had been eating, just not with the bastard on the other side of the door. "C'mon, Ed. Don't make me break down the door to my own library." Briefly, Ed wondered how Mustang knew he had transfigured a deadbolt onto the door. Instead of questioning it, however, he sighed and stood up, making his way around the mess of his 'room' to get to the door. When he opened the door, Mustang's ever immaculate presence greeted him. The man had settled in since he had gotten off work. Ed wasn't entirely sure what time it was, so he couldn't say how long ago that was (not that what time Mustang got back was any more consistent than Ed's own), but it looked like it had been a while.

"I'm not hungry." A lie, but he could eat later. _After_ Mustang had disappeared into his study.

"I have steak." Edward couldn't help it. He perked up at the word steak. "From the little diner down on Fifth Street." Ed scowled. That was his favorite restaurant. Ed shut the door behind him as he entered the hallway, scowl deepening when Mustang didn't back up to give him more room. He felt the tug of Mustang's Core, causing him to move away more quickly than he may have with others. Ed didn't pause until he reached the top of the steps, where he turned back to face the yet-to-budge colonel.

"Well?" The replying smirk was all Ed needed to turn and keep going. When he got to the kitchen, Ed was surprised to see one take-out box and books. He blinked, looking around for a second box but seeing none. Mustang stepped into the room seconds later and motioned to the box.

"Dig in." Ed's eyes narrowed at the arrogance dripping from those two simple words, and he was tempted to take the box and return to his room. Curiosity, as it so often did, convinced him to stay where he'd really rather not be.

"Where's yours?" He locked eyes with Mustang for only a moment as the man sat down, obsidian orbs turning quickly to his books.

"I ate at the restaurant like a normal person," Mustang paused in his insult/explanation to flip through the pages of one of the books, "with a rather lovely lady named Michelle." Ed opened his mouth to make a snide comment about how it was amazing Mustang managed to reign in his sex drive long enough to bring food home when logic stopped him. Heavy boots closed the distance between Ed and the table with a few short steps before Ed flipped the lid of the Styrofoam container up to see a full meal. Not leftovers. Ed couldn't be sure whether she had done something to turn him off or if Mustang had never planned on taking her home in the first place, but he had decided on coming home and giving Ed food before the date had ended. Ed pursed his lips, turning his attention to the small stack of books Mustang was looking through instead. They looked familiar, and Ed only had to pause for a moment to realize that the colonel was working on their paper for Theoretical vs. Practical Transmutations. Ed had only chosen to cite two of the five books that Mustang was using, but the others weren't bad choices. Glancing at his steak once more, Ed turned and went back up the steps.

A few minutes later, Ed was back down the steps with three books of his own and a notebook. He set the books down next to his white box, taking one of them out and placing it fairly forcefully on top of what Mustang was writing. Mustang lifted his head, but Ed made sure not to look in his direction.

"That'll give you more in depth versions of the same information in both Jhendal's and Coria's books." Ed refused to say anything more as he sat down and dug into his meal, eyes already picking up where he had left off upstairs. Mustang didn't say anything, but Ed heard a chair scrape against the wooden floor and the thump of what he would be willing to bet was two books being placed on said chair. After that, Ed paid more attention to his food and studies than the man beside of him. Though, if only in the back of his mind, he would admit that having Mustang so close made his Core hum happily. The food didn't last very long, but Ed didn't head back to his room, merely spread out a little more and took more notes.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before a wave of sleepiness warned him to go to bed, but Ed found himself yawning and re-taking in his surroundings nonetheless. Mustang was hard at work, pouring over the book Ed had given him. Golden eyes ran over the scene. Mustang looked the most at home Edward had ever seen him; white dress-shirt rolled up to his elbows with the first three buttons undone, one hand threaded into thick black locks, the other writing elegant script on notebook paper that focused obsidian orbs weren't even looking at. He wasn't wearing his gloves, and Ed could clearly see the pale transmutation circle that had been carved into otherwise flawless skin.

Roy Mustang was undeniably handsome.

It actually hurt a little to look at him. The man being good-looking was one thing. It was that in combination with his intelligence. He wasn't a genius, but he was a quick learner. And he had the _drive_ to put his intelligence to good use. Not only his general intelligence but his quick-wit. He thought on his feet, always able to make quick judgments in not only combat orientation but social situations so that they somehow always ended with him on top. Ed may have been able to destroy Mustang academically, but the other man could run circles around him socially. Friends and enemies alike could find themselves captivated by him, even if only for a few minutes.

And then Mustang's inability not to be a bastard would shine through. He would make some snide comment or display arrogance over basically any topic. He would sneer at the thought of something getting in his way. He would lift his lips in that sardonic smile that was just as much a threat – just as dangerous – as if he had raised a gloved hand in preparation to snap. He was ambitious, smart, persuasive, charming, charismatic, cunning, dangerous, and so many other things that Ed wasn't even aware of. In fact, even the list of things that he knew – he _knew_ – about Mustang could be false. They weren't exactly close. There was only one thing he could say without a doubt.

Mustang wanted to make a difference, and he _could_.

If Ed fell asleep staring at Roy Mustang that night, he would never admit to it.

**(***Intertwined***)**

Ed felt a hand shaking his bicep along with a voice calling him out of the haze. He had a crick in his neck that he was fairly used to waking up with but no urge to actually open his eyes. Instead , he just moved away slightly and turned his head away from the disturbance. The grip on his arm only got stronger.

"No, Al. I was up late. Show me later." He shook the hand off again, lightly wondering when Al's hands got bigger but sleep blurring his ability to care.

"-al. Fullmetal, get up. It's almost time to go." A harder shake. "Edward—" Geez, when did Al stop calling him 'Brother? And when did he get so forceful, and—

"God, Al! I'm up! When did your voice get so…" Ed trailed off as he quickly sat up, grumpily glaring at—"deep." All inflection dropped off and his voice quieted as Ed took in Mustang's perfectly dressed figure, right down to the long, black petty coat over his uniform. The older man simply gave a too-satisfied smirk.

"Go get ready. We're leaving in ten minutes." Ed glanced at the clock, quickly putting together that Mustang had purposefully waited long enough for Ed not to have the option of walking or running with any hope of getting there on time to wake him.

"Fucking bastard!" And then Ed was up the steps, pulling off his clothes and tossing them into the corner where the floor was actually visible, just as quickly pulling his last set of clothes out of his duffel bag and forcing them on. His red cloak was the last thing to be pulled on, save his boots. He hurried back down the stairs, less than happy about this predicament. Golden eyes glanced longingly at the books he had fallen asleep on, but this wasn't one of his reading days, so the temptations were best left here. And he had planned on going running after classes ended, maybe finding a sparring partner or two. He would have been able to get a few more pages in if he had set the alchemic alarm system like usual. Now, he would probably be out training until he was almost too exhausted to walk back, and his theories would have to wait.

He scowled at Mustang, who still hadn't moved, before basically stomping out to the sleek black vehicle and going over to the passenger side door. He would have slid into the passenger's seat, but Mustang kept his car locked, even in his garage, so instead he was forced to huff, cross his arms, and wait. Three minutes later, Mustang walked out, calmly putting the keys into the door and, after getting himself fully situated and the car turned on, unlocked Ed's door.

"I told you ten minutes. No more, no less. Are you sure you've been in the military?" Mustang was toying with him, and Ed simply wasn't in the mood. It was way too early. It was always too early.

"What can I say? I don't make a very good dog." Mustang's eyes slid over to Ed for a moment before returning to the road while Ed's own eyes stayed focused stubbornly out the window.

"I know." There was something behind the words; something taunting that didn't seem to be aimed at Ed. The blonde's resolve not to look at the older man was forgotten as he turned his head fully to study the colonel.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Ed wasn't shy about confronting his suspicions. Mustang glanced over at Ed, an equally studious look in his eyes.

"Calm down, Fullmetal. I was just agreeing with you." But the playful arrogance in his tone was covering curiosity. Mustang didn't know what Ed knew and was trying to bait him. Meaning there was something to know. Ed's eyes narrowed, and he hummed contemplatively before moving his attention back out the window. Mustang was hiding something, but he was always hiding something. Ed rarely had reason to care. This time it wasn't about some stupid political dance though. This time he was hiding something about Ed.

It wasn't his Core. Mustang would have simply cornered him if he knew anything about that. By proxy, that meant he didn't know about what had went on during his Inheritance. It couldn't have to do with Al because even Mustang knew that Ed would murder for his brother without hesitation. The quickest way to cut any and all ties with Ed was to hide something about his younger brother, and cutting ties was the opposite of what Mustang wanted. Ed would admit that it bothered him slightly that something was being hidden about him, but…

Well, he was hiding information about Mustang, too. About his Inheritance. If Ed had an Inheritance, he would want to know what happened during it. Maybe what Mustang was hiding was important. Maybe it wasn't. For now, Ed would consider them even.

It wasn't until they reached the school that either of them spoke again, and even that was just for Ed's, "Thanks for the ride." He didn't even wait for the car to be turned off. If they walked to class together, it might give Mustang the wrong idea. They were not friends. Ed didn't want to be his friend. Mustang would only use Ed's reputation to further his career. Instead, Ed would walk to class alone and sit in the back of the classroom alone, like usual.

He would have done so, too, if Scar hadn't been in his seat. Golden eyes blinked, and then Ed made his way over. Scar wouldn't sit in his seat unless he had something to say. Ed stopped in front of him, for once looking down on the large man, and waited. Scar had been staring him down since he entered, eyes ever-hidden by his sunglasses, so it wasn't so much getting his attention as it was waiting for the normally silent man to speak. For a long minute, Scar just examined him. Ed shifted his feet, uncomfortable with the one-on-one attention.

"He's not right for you." The words were monotonous, and the voice was deep. It was Ed's turn to stare.

"And?" Ed already knew that he and Mustang were far from a perfect fit. Scar paused (shocker) before speaking again.

"Was this not arranged by the two of you?" The small amount of confusion had Ed wondering what other rumors were floating around. Ed sneered at the thought of volunteering for two months with Mustang.

"Nah. He just doesn't know where to draw the line with his stupid fucking pranks." Because that's all this was: a chance to make Ed uncomfortable. Scar didn't respond again, but he nodded and stood from Ed's seat. Ed hesitated a moment before deciding there would never really be a _good_ time to make this particular point known and calling out to Scar.

"Hey," Scar faltered in his steps and turned, "you aren't right for me either, you know." Always an awkward conversation, but one that was better to get out of the way. Scar, as per usual, preferred to stare rather than say anything, and after two full minutes, Ed began to wonder if he had miscalculated. Ed wasn't exactly the most attractive man out there, so to assume that Scar was romantically interested in him just because he showed a little concern was—

"Not yet." And then Scar walked back to his usual seat, his attention turned out the window as though nothing had happened. Ed stared for another moment, more than a little confused, before shaking his head and sitting in the recently vacated chair. He had yet to meet someone with a Water Core that liked to make sense.

The current Fuhrer had a Water Core.

Ed's attention returned only when his name was called. Golden eyes turned towards the front of the room, focusing on Armstrong's sparkling form. He could see the cloth straining over ever-flexing muscles even from the back of the room. Ed, having always had a lithe build himself, wondered if it was hard to move normally with that much musculature. Then again, Armstrong was swift enough in a fight for Ed to assume he could lead a normal life if he would only wear looser clothes.

"Well, Edward? What do you think?" Ed paused, trying to think of what they were talking about to figure out what question had been asked, but the class material blurred together so heavily at this point that it was hard to pick out where they were. "No need to think it over so heavily, Edward! How has your view on how your bonding life will be changed since you started living with Roy?" Armstrong was grinning away, his full attention on Ed, and the Fullmetal alchemist glanced around to note that everyone's attention was on him. They weren't just trying to get through class. They wanted to know Ed's answer. Golden eyes paused on sunglasses before moving to meet obsidian eyes and finally stopping on the window, where they had started.

"I don't plan on bonding." He didn't. He _couldn't_. After a few seconds of complete silence, Armstrong's jovial laughter cut through the tension.

"Oh, you are funny! Surely you—" Ed interrupted the Strong Arm Alchemist then and there.

"I'm not joking. I won't bond." He wouldn't be anyone's political stepping stone. The silence lasted longer this time, but Ed refused to look away from the scene outside.

"Why wouldn't you want—" This time, it was the bell that interrupted the alchemist. However, when Ed tried to file out with everyone else, Armstrong stopped him. Once the room had emptied, however slowly, the larger man closed the door. "Edward, this news concerns me." He looked concerned. He _sounded_ concerned. Edward shrugged. Large hands landed on either of Ed's shoulders, forcing Ed to give his full attention to the older man. "You're very well-versed in the theoretics of bonding, there's no denying that, but you seem not to be aware of the practicalities. It not only helps strengthen individual Core strength, but it _connects_ people." He spoke of bonding with utmost joy, the sparkles behind him shining almost brightly enough to blind. Ed hated how nice it sounded.

"I get that. It's just not—" physically possible, "—for me. I don't want it." It was a half-truth. Ed didn't like lying, especially not to Armstrong. The man was so kind, so genuine, that Ed hated the thought of being what hurt his seemingly ever-fragile feelings.

"But Edward! One day you'll find someone who will—" not be able to bond with Ed because their Cores wouldn't align, "—love you as much as you love him or her! This world has forced you to grow up too quickly, but you can't lose hope, my young friend!" Can't lose hope. Ed's hope of finding an Activation Fire Core holder who would want him for him burned down along with his and Al's childhood home. Now, it was all about making sure Al had whatever he wished.

"Thanks, but I should really be going." Ed raised his hand to scratch behind his head, uncomfortable with getting any deeper into the conversation. Armstrong accepted his apologetic smile and lame excuse after only a moment of sympathetic staring and sent Ed off with a strong (too strong, really) pat on the back.

As he left the classroom, Ed's only thoughts were on the training he was about to force his body to endure.


	5. Tape

**Author's Note:**_ Just so you all know, I'm five chapters ahead, and every time I finish a new chapter, I put out the next one in line. That way, when college gets hectic and I lose time to write, you guys still don't have to wait months to get the next update. _

**Warnings:**_ AU: that means that discrepancies in the storylines of this story and the cannon are on purpose. Don't bother telling me that I'm wrong about where people live or who knows whom. Slash; Hetero; Whatever else I don't consider worth warning you about._

**Disclaimer:**_It's not mine._

"Ed? You okay?" Golden eyes cracked open to meet brown, and Ed's brows rose slightly. He had collapsed a while back after finishing his workout, and he had been lying on the ground ever since.

"I'm fine, Maes. What are you doing here?" Maes grinned at the question, raising the shopping bags in his hands to emphasize them.

"Just picking up some ingredients for dinner. My beautiful daughter and gorgeous wife are cooking a meal together tonight! I think my little Elicia might be a chef when she gets older, she's just so talented. It's clear where she gets it from. She—" Ed cut Maes off with a tired but genuine laugh, and Maes' grin got wider, clearly pleased with the response. "Say, Ed. How about you come have dinner with us tonight?" Ed stared for only a second before breaking into a grin. He was never one to turn down food.

"Only if you help me up." His arm raised from its comfortable spot on the ground, and Maes shifted his bags to take Ed's hand. Ed groaned as he was pulled from the ground, his body protesting at the movement.

"My car is over there. We've got to make a small stop on the way; I've got one more little thing to pick up. That is, if you don't mind?" Maes' smile didn't falter through his explanation, and Ed plucked his jacket off the ground and slung it over his shoulder as he began to walk towards the direction Maes had gestured at.

"Not at all. It's not like I have anything to do after this." Ed slipped into the passenger's seat of the vehicle as Maes situated the groceries in the back. Once Maes joined him, the conversation continued.

"So, no homework, I take it?" Maes glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes, and Ed shrugged.

"I don't know. Al has my syllabi, so if I don't do it the day it's assigned, he'll call me the night before it's due to remind me." The system had worked so far.

"The night before it's due? Isn't that cutting it pretty close?" Maes sounded amused, but Ed just shrugged again. It was always plenty of time. "Well, how's Al doing nowadays? He making any progress with Winry?" Ed scoffed at that one, turning his head to the side to look at the driver.

"You know how he is. Al would rather live as friends for the next ten years and be sure she'll say yes than make a move 'too early' and risk what they have now." Winry was a little dense when it came to Al's feelings, but she cared about Al. She cared a lot more than 'just friends.' Maes chuckled knowingly.

"Well, it's scary. I wanted to be certain before I confronted my Gracia, but her beauty and magnificence overwhelmed me, and I just couldn't wait! I walked right up to her and—actually, hold on. We're here. You want to run in with me?" Ed looked back out the windshield to see Central Command looming ahead of them. Maes wasn't usually one to bring his work home with him, namely because he couldn't focus on anything but family when they were within 100 yards of him, so what could he need to pick up?

"Sure." Ed hadn't actually been inside the building in quite a while, thanks to the academy. He got out of the car and walked amicably beside of Maes, only half-listening to him ramble on about his incredible family. The pictures were out already, of course, but that only made Ed grin more. It was… it was actually really nice to see that Maes' attitude towards him hadn't changed even after learning about his Core. Before, only Al, Winry, and Granny Pinako knew about it. Honestly, it was refreshing to know that even if the truth got out, at least some things would never change. Ed thought about thanking Maes for a moment, letting him know how much the normalcy really meant, but this was Maes Hughes. The man probably already knew.

They took random turns that Ed had never personally used before, and Ed allowed his attention to wander as they made their way through the labyrinth of a building. It came back, however, when Maes turned towards a closed door, and Ed knew they had reached whatever Unit Maes needed to get whatever from. When Maes opened the door, four men's attention trained on them.

Ed's attention was first drawn to the two men playing chess. One of them was somewhat short and stocky with auburn hair styled in a shaggy crew-cut. His facial expression and open military jacket said he didn't much care about what they were there for, but his eyes told a different story. They were a dark, intelligent brown, and they knew more than they let on. Ed would say he probably knew why Maes was there and was currently cataloging Ed. His opponent was taller and more lean. He also looked older, his facial structure more defined. Gray hair was also in a crew cut, but the top was longer than the first man's. The taller one's eyes were mostly closed, and he had a gentle smile on his face. It looked too much like Maes' for Ed to think that the man was any less intelligent than the guy he was playing against.

Then, on the other side of the room, there was one man who looked younger than the others by a fair amount. He had spiked up black hair (naturally so, it seemed) and wore glasses over fairly large brown eyes that only had frames on the top-half. His body language was tenser than his companions, but Ed would bet he didn't get into this group by being jumpy. He was more obvious in his observations, looking Ed over like he was a story book character that the young man had never expected to meet. Behind the young guy was a lean, tall, blonde man with a cigarette in his mouth. He was leaning back in his chair with his combat boots resting on his desk, a half-interested look on his face as he looked Ed over. He didn't have the same amount of intelligence racing through his blue eyes, but that Ed had found that rarely meant much. Ed's instincts said the older blonde was a good man, and that was all that really mattered.

"Hughes! Long time no see." The auburn haired man spoke up, a smile curling on his lips. "Who's your friend?" He nodded towards Ed, and Ed stepped forward before Maes could introduce him.

"Name's Ed. We're just here to pick something up." He thought about saying Elric, but there was no way to tell how they would feel about the Alchemist of the People. Being on Maes' good side gave him a few points to start the game off, but Ed just wasn't in the mood to deal with stuck up military officials in case those points weren't enough. The gray haired man grinned in response.

"Nice to meet you, Ed." A chorus of 'hey' and 'hello' followed that, and it looked like the man was going to continue into an introduction when the sound of a gunshot from an office in the back of the larger room cut him off. Ed immediately stilled, palms inches apart and ready to transmute his arm into a weapon, when Maes put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about that. It's just Hawkeye getting the Boss-man back on track." The blonde was grinning around his cigarette, and, after a reassuring look from Maes, Ed lowered his defenses.

"Speaking of the Boss-man…" Maes trailed off as he allowed his hand to slip from Ed's shoulder and walked towards the door the shot had sounded from. Ed chose not to follow him, and that was probably for the best as Maes entered the office without knocking (clearly a good friend) and, a few minutes later, a blonde woman came out, shutting the door softly behind her. She had her hair pinned up into a bun, stern brown eyes immediately running over the occupants of the room and stopping on Ed. Her eyes narrowed.

"May I help you with something, Major Elric?" She didn't seem pleased, but she didn't seem displeased, either, and Ed scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile as his identity was placed out in the open.

"Nah. I'm just going to have dinner with Maes, but he needed to pick something up first. I'm assuming he's getting it from whoever's in there." Ed pointed at the door, and the woman gave something just short of an amused smile after glancing at the door in understanding.

"So, you're the famous Fullmetal Alchemist, huh? Do you really have automail? I mean, it's such a controversial science that—I'm sorry. I get too excited sometimes. My name is Sergeant Major Kain Fuery, but I usually go by Fuery." The youngest of the group smiled, and Ed grinned back, used to the questioning and personally just pleased that this wasn't one of the groups with something against him. A somewhat embarrassed laugh left Ed's lips as he answered.

"Yeah. Though I wouldn't call myself famous. And it's really nothing special." Ed shrugged off one shoulder of his red, hooded cloak to reveal his automail before righting it again.

"Well, whether it's your preferred wording or not, you _are_ famous." The gray-haired man's words drew Ed's attention next. "Vato Falman, at your service." He smiled kindly, and Ed nodded back.

"I guess it's introductions all around, huh? I'm Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda. Just call me Breda." The only one not keeping to uniform standards (not that Ed had any room to talk) nodded to Ed.

"Guess that leaves me. I'm Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc. Now, no matter whether you call it famous or not, you did travel a lot, right?" Ed tilted his head a little at the question before nodding, an amused smile tugging at his lips. "Then you must have met _tons_ of women! I know you have to worry about being picky because of the whole bonding thing, but I don't have that issue! Is there anyone you could call up?" The next thing Ed knew, Havoc was right beside of him, one arm around his shoulder and the other moving in a line in front of them. "Just picture it, Ed. You and me, a nice restaurant, two gorgeous ladies sitting across from us, all dolled up and in nice, short, low-cut dresses—" Havoc stopped short as a bullet flew directly in the space between their heads, and Ed's eyes went straight to the final blonde in the room.

"Riza Hawkeye. As nice as it is to meet you, it would be best if everyone got back to work." Her pistol was already re-cocked, and Ed was about to take that as his cue to wait for Maes in the car when the office door opened again, allowing its occupants to exit. Havoc's arm was heavy on his shoulder as two very masculine figures entered the room: Maes and—

"Colonel Bastard?" No fucking way. Ed wanted to look around, just to soak in the full reality of having just met Mustang's crew, but he couldn't pull his eyes away from the black haired, black eyed demon. A crooked smile made its way to said demon's lips, but only after they had thinned into a tight line for a barely existent second. Mustang hadn't been pleased to see him at his work place. Ed scowled. Well, he hadn't ever wanted to see where the bastard worked, either.

"Slow down with the pet names, Fullmetal. I'm shy." Shy. Right.

"Shut the fuck up, Mustang. I may be tired, but I'll always have the energy to punch that damn smug grin off your face." Havoc removed his arm from Ed's shoulders as soon as Ed finished snarling his threat, and Ed glanced over, having nearly forgotten he was there. Havoc looked surprised and a little wary, blue eyes glancing between Ed and Mustang.

"You sure you can reach that high?" Mustang was just as taunting as ever, and Ed's hands itched to bruise his perfect jaw.

"Come over here and let's find out." And, like so often when Ed didn't think before speaking, Mustang rose to the occasion. Long, uniformed legs carried Mustang over to Ed, (far too close to Ed) and the arrogant colonel's smirk did stupid things to Ed's Core, baiting Ed to move even closer. It didn't make a lot of sense how a facial expression could make him want to get closer to Mustang, but there was no documentation of two Fire Core holders getting so close to bonding and then just stopping, so who was Ed to say this wasn't a crazy side effect? Ed's hands curled into fists at the unfairness of it all; having one of the only people on Earth he could possibly bond with be a bastard who, if he had any idea what he did to Ed's Core, would only use Ed until the blonde couldn't take it anymore before tossing him away. Before Ed could throw a fist at Mustang's horribly smug face, Maes had one hand on each of their chests, pushing them apart.

"Now, now, boys. No fighting in the house." Ed looked up at Maes, a scowl on his features, before crossing his arms over his chest and stepping back even further to lean against the wall.

"Haven't you gotten what we came here for yet?" Ed was ready to leave.

"Yep." Maes grinned and grabbed onto the cloth of the shoulder portion of Mustang's black coat and tugged upwards. "I got it." Mustang looked unamusedly at Hughes while golden eyes widened.

"_That's_ what you came here to get?" Ed wasn't going to lie. The thought of spending dinner with Mustang made him want to scream. Mustang turned his attention back to Ed, and that infuriating taunt was back in his eyes, the one where they both knew that the colonel had a way to irritate him and was excited to use it.

"Already objectifying me, Fullmetal? We haven't even had dinner yet." Mustang's voice was spun sugar, and Ed rolled his eyes. It was then that he realized no one had left the room. Mustang's entire team was staring at them as though this was their new favorite show, and Ed felt blood rush to his cheeks. He didn't really like being the center of attention.

"Shut up, Mustang." The words were a lot quieter than normal though. Golden eyes moved away from Mustang to look at Maes. "Sorry, Maes. I'm going back to the house." The house. Never home.

In the back of his mind, Ed noted that it had been a while since he had felt so tired.

**(***Intertwined***)**

Roy wouldn't call it an obsession. Obsession implied that Roy didn't have control. What he had for Ed was just interest. If he happened to find everything interesting, it was because everything about the eldest Elric was interesting, not because he was obsessed. All of this _interest_, coupled with Roy's meticulous (and somewhat controlling) nature, meant that he noticed, well, everything about the blonde. He had noticed Havoc's arm slung a little too friendlily around Ed's shoulders and resisted the urge to put a more literal spark between the two. (Havoc was infallibly straight, yes, but that didn't stop Roy from commandeering Ed's attention for himself.) He had noticed the flash of want in Ed's eyes when they had gotten close enough to touch. He had noticed the bitterness and pain that had mixed with the anger directly after the want had disappeared. He had noticed tired muscles tense up, ready to fight once more despite how Ed had most likely run his body ragged (if his clothes and demeanor were anything to go by) less than an hour before.

And now, he noticed the exhaustion. It was something Ed rarely let surface: just how much life had worn him down. For a splinter of a moment, though, that was exactly was broke through Ed's walls, and Roy had noticed. Maes released his hold on Roy, their eyes connecting briefly to exchange the knowledge that Maes had seen it, too, before the bespectacled male stepped forwards, both hands up in a jokingly defensive position.

"C'mon, Ed. Gracia's worried about you taking care of yourself since Al went to Resembool, and I already promised Elicia she'd get to see you tonight! Besides, I know you're hungry, and Gracia's making the most delicious London broil you've ever had! Just wait until you taste it; my beautiful wife is the best chef in the world, I swear." Ed hesitated at the speech, always an easy man to send on a guilt trip, and Roy felt both his shoulders being grabbed before he was pushed forward and presented to Ed. "And little Roy here will be on his absolute best behavior! I promise!" Maes' family-man charm was turned to its highest notch, and Roy gave Ed an 'I-suppose-I'll-go-along-with-what-he's-saying' look. "So, how's about we give this one more shot, and if Roy steps out of line, he can find his own dinner?" Roy immediately noticed that Ed had been placed farther up on the list of important people than he and gave his best friend the mildly irritated look deemed most appropriate for the situation. There was a final pause before Ed half-sighed, half-laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it already. I'll wait in the car." The hand moved to wave to the general vicinity of the room. "It was nice meeting you guys." Without waiting for a response, Ed turned and left. A singular moment of a moment: that was all Ed had given himself to prepare to face whatever Life dared to throw at him again. One day, Roy wouldn't simply give him more time; he would shove more time down Ed's throat, making sure the man knew that he could let his guard down without anything terrible happening to him.

As soon as Ed was out of earshot, the chatter began.

"What was that all about?" Fuery.

"I think he was seriously going to hit you, Colonel!" Havoc.

"Looks like you'd better watch yourself tonight." Breda. Falman and Hawkeye didn't say anything, but their amusement over this was just as obvious as if they had voiced it like the others. Roy resisted the urge to sigh.

"Let's go, Maes." Roy walked out of the room after his housemate without another word. He could deal with, and by deal he did mean shut down, his team's curiosity the next day. Right now, he was just happy that Maes had rescued him from the paperwork he had been neglecting. And with Edward Elric waiting for him, why in the world would he want to waste time answering their questions? Maes' parting words could be heard behind him, and he quickly caught up to Roy.

"You _have_ his attention, you know. You're living with him." Maes' words were quiet and more than entertained. He was referring, of course, to the way that Roy antagonized Ed. It was rare that Roy actually tried to irritate Ed as much as he had a few minutes before, but it was either that or set Havoc on fire. Roy was a naturally jealous, possessive man. He wanted Ed's attention, all of it, for himself, and the only way he had found to do that thus far was to make Edward angry.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Roy deadpanned the words, and Maes' grin got a little wider.

"Of course you don't." They fell into a comfortable silence as they made a familiar trek through the corridors. It was tradition for Roy to come over for dinner every other Friday, though Ed joining certainly wasn't an unpleasant addition. As they reached the parking lot, Roy spotted Ed leaning against Maes' car, and, with a nod, Roy moved towards his own vehicle. They would meet at the Hughes household. Maes paused Roy's leave with a sentence, though he, himself, was already walking towards Ed.

"And make sure to leave that book in your car. I don't want to be there when Ed finds out you took it." The smile was obvious in his tone, even without them facing each other. Roy continued onto his car, the very book Maes was referring to tucked safely in the waist of his jacket. It was the reason they had taken so long in the office. Maes had spotted the unfamiliar journal and questioned him on it soon after asking Hawkeye to give them a moment alone. Well, he had less questioned Roy about the journal itself and more why he had it. It had taken Maes only seconds to note the journal amidst the stacks of papers and identify it as Ed's.

It wasn't as though Roy had planned on taking the journal that morning. He had glanced at it when Ed had been getting ready, flipping through the first couple of pages of intricate notes with only mild understanding. When Ed had left without so much as glancing at it, the temptation had been too great. He had slipped it into his jacket before walking out. Roy had been running over the notes all throughout the day. It caused quite a few more shots to be fired, but they were worth it. Roy had been… well, surprised wasn't the right word.

He had known that Ed was brilliant. That was never in question. The contents of the journal though, they were far above anything Roy could have come up with. Some things were simple or at least common enough that Roy had been able to easily follow along, some Roy had never even heard the components of, and some just looked like random thoughts. They didn't start or lead anywhere, just existed. Roy, determined to comprehend what was written, only got through half of the journal. If Ed was correct on some of those theories, and Roy wouldn't be surprised if he was, than he could probably change the way that some alchemy was taught.

Of course, he didn't tell Maes that. He had thought about playing coy over the entire thing, as Maes already knew the main points of the situation and left little need for conversation over it, but Roy had never been one to waste resources.

"How long has he been doing this?" Roy tapped on the cover of the journal lightly. Maes hummed, his smile playful.

"Years. He got into the habit while out in the field, but he's been doing it more often since he was forced into the academy. I think it's so that he can communicate more easily with his brother, but I haven't asked." Maes loved it when Roy asked about Ed. He often equated Ed as Roy's Gracia, and any time Roy actually voiced any sort of interest in the blonde, Maes got giddy. It wasn't as though Roy had ever actually voiced that he wanted Ed. His best friend just knew him well enough to see the subtle signs. That, and Maes had been waiting for the moment when Roy would get serious about a romantic interest for years. Roy had agreed to enough blind dates to last a life time thanks to that.

His interest hadn't been romantic at first; purely political. Having the Alchemist of the People on his side would do very well for his image. Then he had actually met the man. Well, Ed had only been a boy at the time, but that wasn't the point. Edward had walked up to him, a sixteen year old freshman who wasn't intimidated in the slightest by Roy or the gaggle of people around him. He was short, with an obnoxiously red, hooded cloak making him stick out even more than his clearly brash attitude would have. Long blonde hair was pulled back into a neat braid that somehow added to Edward's masculinity, and a part down the middle left shaggy blonde bangs framing his face. They made golden eyes stand out more, immediately giving Roy knowledge of the boy's Xerxesian ancestry, but Roy was more interested in the way he was acting. Edward had an eager look in his eyes that made everything on Roy's political agenda easier. It was a look Roy loved. He gave his most charming smile, made his voice as kind and genuine as could possibly be faked, and asked if there was anything he could do to help.

It was at that point that Edward's experience showed how much older he was than his age, and Roy was blacklisted from befriending the elder Elric. His eyes lost their star-struck quality, instead turning cold and disenchanted. It took Roy a few more tries to realize that the problem wasn't that his charm had been off or that Ed preferred a different type of friend. The problem was that Edward couldn't be tricked. He could see the words behind Roy's words and the intention behind the actions. It wasn't always clear to Ed what Roy actually wanted, clearly, but he always knew the gist of it. He always knew when he was being played.

It was then that Roy became _interested_.

Months later, Maes was willing to categorize that interest as romantic. Months after that, Roy was willing to agree with him.

And now, it was finally time to act on that interest. Edward was eighteen, and he was more than desirable. He didn't have the strongest Core in the world, no, but he was strong. He was handsome, willful, brilliant, talented, and frankly enchanting. Edward had more than his fair share of men and women who were interested in him, and the second he left town again, single and oblivious to romantic advances, Roy wouldn't be able to protect him. Here, no one would touch Ed. Roy had made his interest clear, paid special attention to the young man so that others would know he fell under Roy's protection. He did all of this, of course, without Ed's knowledge. Most people adhered to the warning. Some people, like Scar, approached him anyway. Fortunately, Ed had no sense of decorum when he did eventually notice people's attention, and Roy had gotten to witness his competition's brutal rejection. It was only too bad that Scar couldn't take a hint.

That, however, was a train of thought for another time. Now, it was time to have dinner.


	6. Clasps

**Author's Note:**_ Oh, school. _

**Warnings:**_ AU: that means that discrepancies in the storylines of this story and the canon are on purpose. Don't bother telling me that I'm wrong about where people live or who knows whom. Slash; Hetero; Whatever else I don't consider worth warning you about._

**Disclaimer:**_It's not mine._

Roy took off his jacket as he exited the car, making sure the journal was safely tucked away inside before folding it again as an extra precaution and putting it on his seat. Roy was only steps behind Ed and Maes as they entered the house. They were immediately greeted by the sound of small feet running across hardwood floors and a singular word being chanted like a mantra.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" Elicia ran into the room as fast as her short legs could carry her, thin arms immediately wrapping around her father's neck. Maes, of course, wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her around in circles while complimenting every possible part of her. As soon as she was set on her feet, she turned her attention elsewhere. "Good evening, Uncle Roy!" She moved forwards, wrapping her arms around his waist in a quick hug before moving her attention again and, in a much higher voice, "Ed!" Elicia ran just as quickly to Edward as she had to Maes, Roy was sure. Ed's irritated demeanor was immediately replaced with a kind smile and soft eyes as he crouched on the ground to receive her hug.

"Hey, El. How've you been?" Edward pulled back, and Elicia grinned brightly at him.

"You haven't visited in _forever_! Did you go on another trip?" Ed opened his mouth, but the answers seemed to lose their importance as she moved onto another topic. "Your hair's gotten so long! Is mine gonna be this pretty when I get older?" She tugged lightly on his braid, running her fingers through its loose end-hairs and his bangs. Edward chuckled, moving his hands to pick her up and place her on his hip a moment later.

"Even prettier. Though I think you're probably just about there already. In fact, I'm getting a little jealous." He ran his hand through her hair with a teasing smile on his face. Apparently, when children were concerned, it didn't matter who was around. Maes grinned at the sight before catching Roy's eye and lifting the grocery bags. The next moment, he left for the kitchen. Roy watched Edward interact with Elicia for another few seconds before following Maes. As much as he loved watching Edward play, and he really did enjoy it, this wasn't his place. Not yet, anyhow.

"Oh, Roy. I'm glad you could make it. Is Elicia…" Gracia trailed off, her ever-pleasant smile firmly in place.

"With Fullmetal." Roy paused. "He's good with kids." It was a statement, but Roy rarely had to ask questions to get answers. Gracia took the meat out of its packaging as she responded, her voice as sweet as physically possible while remaining genuine.

"Most definitely. Elicia's quite taken with him. She chatters on for days after he's visited. He has this- this _way_ with her. It's almost like they're actually siblings." Siblings. That made sense. She would be only a few years younger than Alphonse when they had lost their mother. A few years younger than when they had risked their lives – lost parts of Ed's body – trying to bring her back. Ed had a protective nature without linking the person he was protecting to his brother. It might not have been that he was particularly good with children, but particularly good with family.

"Maybe they'll fall in love when she gets old enough." Maes grinned too widely. "I mean, he's a little old for her _now_, but twelve years doesn't mean all that much when you get older, and Ed would make a perfect son-in-law." Roy scoffed good-naturedly while Gracia laughed. Like hell Roy would wait for his competition to _grow up_. Fullmetal would be his within the month.

"I'm gonna marry Ed?" Elicia caught the attention of the room with wide eyes and a tone filled with wonder. Apparently, whatever the actual answer was didn't matter as she turned excitedly to the man she was currently holding hands with. "We're gonna get married!" The words were practically squealed, and Ed gave a nervous laugh while Maes hurried over to snatch his darling daughter off the ground.

"Now, now, sweetie. You can't marry Ed just yet. Right now, you have to stay with Mommy and Daddy! Boys are a no-no!" Maes' words were rushed, and Elicia pouted.

"But Daddy, I _am_ staying with you! Ed would move here." She ended the sentence with a reassuring smile that Roy was sure she had learned from her mother, causing Maes to practically overload on love. Ed's nervous laugh entered the air again, and Roy smirked.

"Well, I suppose you're all set then. Congratulations on your new husband." Roy's words earned him a laugh, a glare, a whine, and a thank you. One thing was for sure: Elicia was absolutely thrilled with having Roy's intended as her own. She wriggled out of her father's arms and made her way back to Ed, happily gripping at his cloak. Fullmetal sighed before placing his hand on the eight year old's hair.

"So, how's dinner coming along?" Gracia smiled at the change in topic while Maes curled into a ball on the floor, muttering something about his perfect daughter being stolen away by alchemists.

"It'll be finished in just a bit. Would you mind setting the table?" She tossed a smile over her shoulder, still stirring whatever was on the stove, and Edward nodded.

"Yes, ma'am." His hand left Elicia's hair, and Edward went over to the cabinets to retrieve the necessary dinner implements, handing the cups to his new fiancée before leaving for the dining room. Roy, Gracia, and Maes waited in amiable silence, listening to Elicia's chatter and Ed's random inputs from the other room. It was nice. In this little house, at least for the night, there were no feuds or wars to worry about; no political schemes to defend against. This, not his midnight adventures with various men and women, was how he preferred to unwind.

"Boys, would you mind grabbing something on your way?" It was a question that didn't really require answering. Gracia picked up a bowl of mashed potatoes, Maes went for the broil, and Roy grabbed the salad bowl and pitcher of sweet tea. The table had been nicely set up, Fullmetal already in his chair and Elicia in the one next to him. She had pulled it as close to her future husband as she could get and was staring at him with stars in her eyes.

"—but it turns out that the priest was actually one of the bad guys, which shows you can't trust someone just because of his or her position." Ed sounded knowledgeable, and Maes and Gracia shared a look.

"Except State Alchemists!" She sounded sure of herself, and probably rightly so since many of Maes' closest friends were State Alchemists and she had been told not to trust the general military man. Fullmetal frowned.

"No, not even State Alchemists. There are bad people out there, El, and you can only judge whether or not they're bad or good by what you see and hear and feel, not what they wear." Everything was set on the table while he talked, and Ed looked up from the little girl to nod to Gracia. "Thanks much." And then El pulled his attention back.

"What about Uncle Roy? Daddy says you two fight a lot. He's still good, right?" At that, Edward grimaced. He clearly didn't like where the conversation had went but, with an almost pained look at Roy, Ed spoke again.

"Musta—_Uncle Roy_ and I do fight a lot, but that's just because some people just don't mix very well. It doesn't matter whether he likes me or not though because he loves _you_ very, very much. If you're ever in trouble, you run to him as fast as your legs can take you, and he'll keep you safe, alright?" Ed's voice was so serious, filled with so much conviction, that Roy couldn't calculate the right reaction to the words if he tried. Whatever their differences were, Ed held some sort of respect for (enough respect to entrust his little sister's life to) Roy. It made something warm in Roy's chest, where all he wanted to do was reach across the table and pull Edward to him. Just to feel the man in his arms.

"Okay." Elicia nodded, most likely not entirely sure why it was so important but knowing that it was. Ed grinned at her agreement.

"Great. Then let's dig in!" Roy didn't miss how Ed avoided looking at him as the man put food on his plate. He didn't comment, either. It was near the end of dinner, in the middle of Elicia talking about the sleepover she had went to, she stopped and turned to Ed again.

"Are we going to bond, too? Mary Lou says that alchemists bond with the people they love, not just get married." She had wide, curious eyes, and as Ed opened his mouth, no sound coming out, Roy decided to be the good guy and save him. Just this once.

"We have to find out of you have a Core first, Elicia. And if you do, it'll depend on what type of Core you have, too. Some of them don't bond well together." Pretty green eyes blinked at Roy's explanation.

"Is that why you aren't bonded yet, Uncle Roy? 'Cause your Core is picky?" Gracia laughed at that one, choosing to step in and save Roy.

"I think it's just about time we got ready for bed; leave the boys to talk for a bit." Elicia 'aww'-ed at her mother's words, but she didn't argue. Instead, like the little angel Maes always claimed her to be, Elicia hugged Ed, Roy, and Maes before collecting her dinnerware and leaving for the kitchen with her mother, bidding them all good night. The room fell into a comfortable silence as they finished eating, and, surprisingly, it was Ed who broke that silence. Even more surprisingly, he broke it by speaking to Roy.

"What's it like?" Obsidian orbs met golden, and Roy cocked a brow in question. Ed didn't speak again for a moment, and Roy thought that Ed might pretend that he had never spoken at all, when the blonde continued. "Being able to bond with whoever you want." Maes stilled, watching them both closely, and Roy knew that this was a problem they both knew about. Ed was… insecure?

"Not much different than you, I'd wager." Roy sipped his wine, leaning back to feel the material of his military uniform pressing against him where he had hung it over the chair earlier. "My Core makes it easier for me to bond, but if it's someone you should actually bond with, he's not going to turn you down just because the process is a little harder. You _can_ bond with whoever you want, Fullmetal. You just have to be willing to go for it." Whatever Roy had said, it didn't appear to be what Ed had wanted to hear. The blonde gave a knowing, bitter, sad smile that Roy didn't understand at all, and Maes was looking at Ed with pained sympathy that made Roy want to step farther into Ed's business than he was allowed. He wanted to ask what was stopping Ed from bonding. There had to be something.

In class, Ed had said he didn't plan on bonding, but his emotions didn't match up with his words. Ed wanted to bond, there was just something… preventing it. Something Maes knew. Maes also knew about Roy's intentions towards Edward though, and he had never mentioned this problem before. That meant both that Maes had only recently come across the information and that it was something Maes found too delicate to share.

"Thanks, Mustang. I've got the dishes." Fullmetal gathered the rest of the dishes, leaving the drinks behind, and made his way into the kitchen. Roy looked straight to his best friend.

"Maes." _What's going on?_

"Yes, Roy?" _I can't say._

"How's work?" _Does anyone else know?_

"I'm working on a lead, but there are only a few angles to work with." _Yes, but not many._

Not many in Maes-speak meant one or two, at most. That meant Alphonse and possibly their blonde, mechanic friend, Winry. Basically, this meant that if Roy wanted to know, he was going to have to find out on his own. And find out on his own, he would. Roy swished his wine around in the glass before downing the last of it.

"Who are you planning on taking to the military ball? I'm taking my beautiful wife and gorgeous daughter, of course, but you've got to be a little more careful about it. The Fuhrer's going to be there, all eyes are going to be on you two. For all the people shooting for his job position, you're looking like the hardest hitting competition." It was good news, of course, but that meant Roy was going to be targeted even more harshly than before, this time by the Fuhrer himself.

"Maybe Cora. She would dazzle the masses." Maes hummed at Roy's suggestion.

"Maybe. But only the masses. The higher ups would see right through her." She was charming, not smart. Roy went through his mental black book.

"I could always go alone; show my dedication to work." Everyone loved a hard worker. Maes just hummed again, leaning back in his chair and looking up at the ceiling.

"You could do that, but what about—" Maes stopped talking as Gracia entered the room making a soft shushing noise. She had on a smile that only mothers could wear, and she was motioning for them to look into the living room. Roy exchanged a glance with Maes before they both stood and did as she suggested. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the living room, with the exception of the blonde sleeping soundly on the couch. He was different from when Roy had seen him in the infirmary. He looked far more relaxed, more natural, than before. His head was propped awkwardly on the couch arm, braid hanging lazily over his shoulder. His body was still half-seated, letting Roy know that the man hadn't intended to fall asleep, and Roy was forced to wonder just how long it had been since Fullmetal had slept just to sleep instead of passing out from sheer exhaustion.

"Looks like it's time you two headed home." Maes whispered the words in Roy's ear, and Roy gave a ghost of a nod. He moved to shake Ed awake, much like he had that morning, before pausing. Fullmetal was an extremely heavy sleeper with mild insomnia. If Roy woke him here, there was a good chance he would just stay up the rest of the night reading. Thinking once more on how exhausted Ed had been earlier that day, Roy made a decision and changed his movements to hook his arms under Ed's knees and upper back. He was careful not to jostle Ed as he started to pick him up, but it turned out not to be a problem as Ed immediately curled into him. Something inside of Roy sparked at the contact, and Roy closed his eyes to compose himself.

They had a _connection_. Roy wasn't sure what it was, but no one else (and he had plenty of partners to compare) made him feel the way that Edward did. No one else caused desire to burn through his blood just by touching him. No one else sparked his interest or called him out on his games. There was no one else who was so brutally honest and brash, who cared so little about what other people thought, that Roy knew he wasn't being charmed for his position. There was no one else that Roy had ever considered bonding with. They weren't incredible friends, but that was because Ed had this block up around him, not for lack of compatibility. He just had to break down Ed's walls.

As Ed twisted his fingers into Roy's white shirt, his nose pressed into the crook of Roy's neck, the colonel knew that whatever it took to do just that would be well worth the effort. With Ed in his arms, in the safety of Maes' home, Roy took the time to appreciate just how much heavier Ed was than he looked. He understood that the automail was bound to be at least sixty pounds, but Edward himself was nothing but a bundle of muscle, so instead of the hundred and sixty or so pounds Roy expected, he got more around two hundred and ten or twenty. If he was being honest, he really liked that surprise. Fullmetal was sturdy; he was well-built and could handle the rough life that came along with a life beside of Roy. Maes grinned but didn't say anything before disappearing back into the kitchen and reappearing with Roy's uniform jacket folded over his forearm.

"Thank you for dinner. It was delicious as usual." Roy doubted that speaking in a normal tone of voice would wake Edward, but he preferred to be cautious. Gracia smiled back, walking across the room to open the door for them.

"You know you're always welcome in our home, Roy. The same goes for Edward, of course." She smiled kindly, and Roy gave her a nod before walking out the door, Maes close behind him. The bespectacled man reached into Roy's jacket pocket to fetch the keys and unlocked the door for him before opening that as well. Roy carefully situated Ed into the seat before buckling him in, and the blonde immediately situated himself to be leaning more towards the door; more towards Roy. He closed the door gently, and Maes handed him his jacket. Before Roy could move to get into the car as well, his best friend placed a hand on his bicep, catching his attention for something more than a simple goodbye.

"Think carefully on your partner for the ball, okay?" And then he let go, turning around and putting his hand up in a lazy goodbye as he walked back into his home. Roy got the message loud and clear. He slid into his seat, noting that Ed's body shifted towards him, and started the car. Ed had done that the night before as well: shifted closer after falling asleep. The colonel had chosen not to comment on the staring, and he had been right to do so as Ed had fallen asleep like that. It had been an equally correct choice no leave him there once he had finished, thereby forcing the younger man to ride to school with him.

They pulled smoothly into the driveway, and, as Roy lifted Ed back out of the vehicle, he wondered how the younger man had survived this long. Unless he felt the same spark that Roy did. Obsidian orbs narrowed at the thought. That would explain why he was so defensive around the colonel: he felt the attraction banging at his walls and was afraid to lose his bearings to it. It wasn't that he wouldn't wake up at a stranger literally picking him up, it was that his Core was putting off the same feeling of safety that Roy felt around him. He felt safe with Roy.

Except when he was awake, but that was another matter entirely.

Roy tucked the theory away for further examination as he stepped around the mess of what could once have been called his library. Once he had finished maneuvering across the room, he placed Fullmetal softly on the bed, pulling the covers up over his prone form a second after. The thought of taking the combat boots off had crossed his mind, but there were two issues: 1) There was a good chance not even Fullmetal would sleep through that. 2) If Roy was going to undress the prodigy, he wouldn't stop at the shoes. So, with a last look at his sleeping housemate, Roy left the room and travelled back down to his car. His jacket and coat were collected easily, the car alarm beeping behind him as he went back into his house. He was careful to place the journal back where he had found it before going up the steps and into his room.

It would take a lot of maneuvering and manipulation to get Edward to attend the ball with him, but he already had a few ideas on how to make it happen. Checking to see that it was still somewhat early – only ten thirty – Roy picked up the phone in his room and dialed the number most likely to get him what he wanted.

**(***Intertwined***)**

Ed woke up slowly and comfortably. He hadn't dreamt of any of his usual nightmares about what may have happened had he not shoved Al far enough out of the way of the Gate or of many of the horrors he had seen on his journeys. He wasn't torn between returning to the world of sleep because his body needed anything it could get and waking up to escape from his past. This time, however, he awoke in a light haze with a warmth in his chest that he wasn't used to. Ed rolled over, his hands fisting themselves comfortably in the blanket covering him.

Maes and Gracia were so nice. Though it was odd for him to crash on the couch and sleep through Elicia waking up, and pancakes were usually a Sunday morning treat, not Saturday. Ed reached out his hand, feeling the rest of the bed for his—

Bed?

Golden eyes snapped open to see the library, and Ed went through the different ways he could have gotten here, none of them very probable. Not that it mattered much. He grabbed a pair of boxers, black shorts, and a black tank before making his way to Mustang's room. He didn't bother knocking, as the man was obviously downstairs making pancakes, and walked straight to the bathroom. Ed stripped and undid his braid, stepping under the hot stream of water with a pleasant sigh. He washed his hair and body, freely using Mustang's overly expensive soaps, before getting out and drying himself off. He slipped on his clothes, bundling the others in his arm to drop off at his room on the way down.

When Ed got to the kitchen, he picked up a pancake from the plate next to the stove and sat down in front of his books. Where did the great Roy Mustang learn how to make such great pancakes? Blueberry pancakes were his favorite, though, so that probably made Ed bias.

"Hey, you mind if I use your phone? I need to call Maes and thank him for bringing me back here." He had been living there for more than a week, yes, but he was still a guest. Mustang half-turned away from the stove, a bored, half-curious look on his face.

"What makes you think it was Maes?" There was nothing patronizing about his tone, but it was simultaneously interested and knowing, giving Ed the knowledge that what he had labeled as the least-likely scenario was what had occurred. Ed had thought nothing could surprise him by this point, but life had other plans.

The warmth in his chest from the night before shot to his face, and Ed couldn't make himself stop staring at his superior officer. He had slept in the bed that he had borrowed from Mustang because he was in Mustang's house because Mustang had fucking _carried_ him to said bed. From Maes' house, nonetheless! Not just up the fucking stairs; across the fucking city. The use of a car didn't matter. Ed swallowed thickly, opening his mouth twice before finally speaking. Suddenly, Ed wasn't very hungry anymore.

"Why? Maes would've just let me crash on his couch. Or you could have woken me up." There was a large, embarrassed part of Ed that never wanted to speak to Mustang again, but there was a larger part that wanted answers. Mustang turned back around, paying attention to the food once more, before answering.

"You don't sleep much. I figured if I woke you up, you'd stay that way. It's not healthy." He flipped the pancake without a spatula, and Ed frowned.

"You sound like Al. My sleeping habits are fine." So he was a little tired now and again. He still functioned just fine.

"I'm not trying to lecture you, Fullmetal. I'm just explaining why I chose not to wake you." Mustang sounded like he was explaining something simple to a child, and Ed hated that it wasn't uncalled for. He had only answered Ed's question.

"Thanks, I guess." Ed wasn't entirely sure how he felt about the ordeal, but his mother had taught him to show gratitude before she had passed, and that had stuck.

"Oh, it wasn't for free." Mustang carried over the plate of pancakes after turning off the stove. "In return, I'd like you to help me with the paper due for Advanced Construction of Transmutation Circles." As odd as it sounded, the words made Ed feel much more at ease. He was used to exchanging favors and nothing being for free, especially from Mustang. All the seemingly random acts of niceness had been throwing him off. Ed's posture relaxed without him really meaning it to.

"Oh. Sure." The man had carried him home, after all. "What part are you struggling with?" Mustang didn't bother to hide his pleased smile at the easy acceptance, causing Ed to roll his eyes.

"Honestly? All of it. I've done the research, and we both know I can string words together with the best of them—" Ed interrupted Mustang's ego-stroking with a dull,

"Silver-tongued bastard," that his commanding officer ignored entirely and continued on as though Ed hadn't spoken at all.

"—but the overall act of constructing transmutation circles escapes me." He sounded bored, as though he didn't really care about the construction and just wanted a grade, but Ed knew that Mustang wasn't one to just let things get the best of him. He didn't just want words to reiterate on paper; he wanted to understand.

"Well, what about your gloves?" Ed nodded towards Mustang's ever-gloved hands. In all honestly, the only time that Ed had only seen beneath them had been during the man's Inheritance. Though that probably had a lot to do with the transmutation circle carved into the back of his hand. Ed had more than enough experience with scars to know that some of them just weren't meant for the eyes of the public. Obsidian orbs glanced down at the gloves as Ed picked up his third pancake, eating it like a cookie while Mustang went back to cutting up his first one.

"What about them?" Ed frowned at the question as he finished chewing. Why did Mustang always have to play coy? It was exhausting.

"They're not like other fire-focused circles. You made them, or at least modified them to your benefit. It's hard to tell most of the time, but I've studied a lot of fire-entered circles, and most either aren't so combat oriented or are less vague." Ed rambled off his reasoning without really thinking about it. The General wasn't being too irritating at the moment, and it was rare that the man admitted to not being able to do something, no matter how he played it off.

"They're different. You can't just construct a circle at random. You need a purpose." Mustang explained why his transmutation circles were somehow the exception to the rule, and Ed shrugged as he stood to get some orange juice.

"Nah. You've just got tunnel vision. Don't think about creating an actual transmutation circle, just think about the process. What are the three essential parts of any circle?" Ed stared into obsidian orbs expectantly, allowing Mustang around half a minute before the man responded.

"The size of the outermost circle, the runes, and the concentration." Mustang sounded just as confident as he would have in class, and Ed sighed.

"First off, drop the act. I know you've got a god-complex to rival an actual god, but if you don't know the answer, it doesn't help anything to pretend like you do." Ed picked up one of the books he had been referencing in his latest theory and flipped to a page with multiple circles before sliding it over next to Mustang's plate. The older man took his time dropping their staring contest before pushing his now-empty plate away and moving the book to a better position. "Secondly, you're right about the runes, but the other two are off. What are the commonalities in all of those circles?" Ed paused to let the other male look them over, hesitating for only a moment before deciding he had room for a fourth pancake and taking another. For all of Mustang's faults, he was a fantastic cook.

"I'm not seeing any other important commonalities aside from the ones I named, Fullmetal." Mustang didn't look up when he spoke, but his tone had the slightest change. There wasn't the confident front that he was correct the first time, only the facts that he saw. Ed stuffed the last of his food in his mouth before scooting his chair backwards and moving to stand behind Mustang, much like he would have his brother. He swallowed the food as he leaned over the other soldier's shoulder, careful not to touch lest his Core act up again but still close enough to point things out in the book. Which is exactly what he did, arm extending over the colonel's with only a few inches of space separating metal from cloth to point at the straight lines in two of the circles. He was naturally left-handed, yes, but it was safer to use his automail when playing with fire.

"Look at the lines. The amount of lines usually depicts how complicated or fixated on a certain subject the circle will be." His hand moved over to point to the runes, and Ed could see the cloth of Mustang's uniform wrinkle as it brushed against Ed's forearm even if he couldn't feel it. "Next, like you said, are the runes. What they are help to define the purpose of the circle and how many usually corresponds with the number of lines." Ed's hand moved a final time, now to the bottom of the page so that he could reach one of the better-drawn circles, moving Ed the inch and a half needed to smell the conditioner in Mustang's hair. The blonde hesitated a moment as he realized that he had used the colonel's shower products and smelled the same, but then he continued explaining. "Lastly, the words written within the circle, usually in Latin, tell how flexible the alchemy activated will be."

Mustang tensed up slightly, so Ed waited to see what the older man would say. Dark, intelligent eyes turned to face Edward, though the rest of him stayed perfectly still, and the cue to keep going was loud and clear. Ed pursed his lips as he wondered how he could explain what, exactly, the words did. Mind no longer focused on anything outside of the academic realm, Ed moved again to trace the words placed inside of the intricate circle.

"This one is for creating a large-scale water purifier. It's pretty specific, down to how large the body of water can be." Ed's hand moved to Mustang's, which was sitting right beside of his own, and adjusted it so that the transmutation circle on the back of his glove was showing. "Your circle is designed without words because you need to be able to control how much fire you create." Ed's automail pointer finger went around the circle once for emphasis. "It's always varying, so you can't afford to complicate the circle, even if it might make it more powerful. Usually this would be a hindrance, as most people don't have either the power or the control to get positive results with such little guidance." Ed paused, half forgetting that Mustang was there, and his finger went around the circle once more as he studied it more intensely. "It might be easier for you because of your Core affiliation, but this takes more focus than raw power. I wouldn't be surprised if it got harder to control after you came into your Inheritance instead of easier."

Ed had more to say on the subject, but his words ended just as quickly as he could realize what he had said. There was no way to tell which of them had tensed more, but Ed was willing to bet it was a close match. He had the urge to move away and change the topic, act as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened, but it would be both tactless and put him in a much harder position of having armed Mustang with the knowledge that he was hiding more than just having known about the Inheritance. All he could do for now was wait for the elder man to react. For a moment, Ed thought that Mustang was going to give him the grace of not looking him in the eyes (they both knew he was a terrible liar), and then the colonel turned his entire upper body to face Ed. Their shoulders touched, and Mustang's face was a few centimeters away, at most.

"What makes you think I've already come into my Inheritance?" Mustang's tone was light, but his eyes were dangerous. Ed's mind raced. If he told the truth, he was done for. If he lied, Mustang would know and call him out on it, leading to suspicion and tact that would then lead to the truth. So, he would have to stick to a half-truth.

"I was in the room when you went through it." Ed paused, seeing that the man's stare wasn't budging, and continued. "Maes found me after class ended and we talked for a while. I felt… off, and he convinced me to go to the infirmary. He knew I wouldn't tell, and I haven't. Your secret is safe." Ed couldn't afford to back off. He needed Mustang to believe him. Not only his future, but Al's depended on it. Mustang moved even closer, if possible, never breaking eye contact as he stared into Ed's fucking _soul_, and Ed narrowed his eyes, daring Mustang to question his story. The staring contest lasted another full minute before Mustang stood, easily moving Ed out of his way before going to the fridge and pouring himself a glass of milk.

"I believe you." Mustang turned around and leaned against the fridge, glass held idly in his hand. Ed blinked, not entirely sure he trusted what had been said.

"You do?" The colonel wasn't a generally trusting person, and for good reason, (especially when considering Ed was currently lying to him) so excuse Ed if he found it hard to believe that the man would just up and believe him.

"You have no reason to lie to me." Mustang spoke so easily that Ed had to physically stop himself from hesitating in his lie.

"No, I don't." He had so many reasons. Ed being uncomfortable with flat-out lying to people's faces wasn't a reason to risk Al's safe, peaceful life though. Ed had given up too much to lose the game now. Mustang drained the rest of his glass before walking around Edward to pick up his plate and putting them both in the sink.

"Then we don't have a problem. I trust you to keep this matter discrete." Mustang checked his watch with an air of importance about him before meeting Ed's eyes again. "It's about time I leave for work anyhow. We can continue this," Mustang's gloved hand – the one Ed had just been handling as he pleased – waved lazily towards the books, "when I get back." And then, as though Ed hadn't just divulged information that could have ruined his life, Mustang simply walked out the door, pausing only to grab his sleek, black petty coat and keys.

Ed knew he should be thankful that he had come out of that with the colonel none-the-wiser, but there was a burning in the back of his mind that this wasn't over yet.

Nothing was that easy when it came to Roy Mustang.


	7. Pins

**Author's Note:**_ I've been writing for a long time. If you ask me if you should read my other stories, I'm likely to laugh for a few minutes before telling you "No." In the beginning, reviews were along the lines of "Love it! Update soon!" (Only God knows why) but they've evolved to be more about my writing style than my actual story, and I can't express to you all how much that means to me. For you to be able to see passed the plot and characters to my writing style and appreciate that shows just how much I've evolved as a writer. With my evolution, I've attracted more mature readers as well. I don't have a beta, and I've still got the bad habit of not reading over these before updating, but I must send out my thanks to anyone who's ever read anything I've written (no matter how bad). You people are wonderful._

**Warnings:**_ AU: that means that discrepancies in the storylines of this story and the canon are on purpose. Don't bother telling me that I'm wrong about where people live or who knows whom. Slash; Hetero; Whatever else I don't consider worth warning you about._

**Disclaimer:**_It's not mine._

As soon as Roy reached his office, the door closed safely behind him, he called his best friend. Ed and Maes' stories for the infirmary visit didn't match up, and neither was the forgetful type. That meant that one of them, or more likely both of them, was lying to him. Maes had pointed out that he didn't want to lie to Roy, to which Roy had immediately assumed he shouldn't ask about his Inheritance, but it seemed as though that statement had been meant for Fullmetal as well. Maes had warned him knowing what conclusion Roy would jump to, but the warning had been there. Roy wasn't angry about the lies. No, those were expected in this line of work. All he wanted was for Maes to know what cards were on the table so that Roy could get the most out of his sources. Well, he wanted to hint at what cards might be on the table and see if anything would slip. It was a long-shot with Maes, but Roy hadn't gotten this far by playing it safe.

"Intelligence Department; Hughes speaking." Roy leaned back in his chair as he heard the usual greeting, well-prepared to play the game with his best friend.

"Maes." Roy needn't say anymore as said man immediately started speaking again.

"Roy! Are you calling because you realized that you forgot to take home some of the newest pictures of my perfect little angel last night?" Roy waited patiently as Maes chattered away, knowing the other man was moving to a more secluded location. "I mean, I know you had your hands full last night – no pun intended – so I can understand how you could forget, but I can't imagine the distress you must be in not being able to look at her smiling face every day!" Roy glanced at his bottom-left desk drawer, knowing an updated picture of Maes and his family was currently lying inside without having to open it. "Don't worry, I always carry a few extra pictures in my wallet. I can give you the one where she's—no, that's one of my favorites. How about the one where—ah, but she's too cute in that to part with it! Oh, I know you can take—" Positive that Maes had plenty of time to isolate himself, Roy interrupted freely.

"You lied about why Ed was in the infirmary." The other line immediately went silent, and Roy waited for a clue to what had actually happened. Maes was nowhere near green enough to panic and spill the whole truth, but he would want to test the waters. They both wanted to know what the other knew, and that required giving a little.

"What did he tell you?" Cautious, not denying or apologetic. Maes knew when he was caught, and they both knew that lying was just a part of the trade sometimes. It was unfortunate when said trade had to be between them, but understandable.

"He wasn't sick when he agreed to go with you." Roy's voice alluded to their being more, but he stopped there. Fullmetal had said that he had felt off, but not sick, and Roy was willing to bet that was Ed's way of lying without actually lying. Fullmetal, quite honestly, sucked at lying, so he preferred to tell half-truths instead. He would see where this bet got him and go from there.

"We both know he won't tell anyone." An excuse, not a reason. Ed knowing about his Inheritance wasn't what they were hiding.

"I wasn't going to make it, was I?" He was too powerful now for it to have gone as easily as it seemed. Maes wouldn't have let anyone in on Roy's Inheritance unless he absolutely had to. Maes hadn't just run into Ed, he had sought the boy out.

"No." The word was soft and regretful, as though Maes didn't like that it had ever been a possibility, but Roy couldn't allow himself to focus on his near-death. How could Ed have helped that? Had he developed a new way to force energy to stray from the Core-holder? With his alchemic genius, Roy wouldn't doubt it, but that wasn't something to hide. It wasn't something Maes would lie to him for.

"Fullmetal saved me." It wasn't a question. It wasn't a shot in the dark. Somehow or another, Ed was the reason he had survived.

"Ed didn't tell you anything, did he?" A rhetorical question if Roy had ever heard one. The colonel twirled a pen in his hands as he gazed at the paperwork he was half-considering doing.

"Not intentionally. He accidentally let on that he knew I had already gone through my Inheritance, and when I questioned him on it, his story for how he got into the infirmary didn't match." Roy had enough information to build off of. He neither needed nor wanted Maes to break his word and tell the truth. No, Roy would much rather get his due from the source of it all. Edward was his intended, making his secrets Roy's as well. It would only be fair for him to find out what, exactly, those secrets were the hard way.

"Look, Roy, I know you're curious, but… maybe you should let this one go. He'll tell you if he's ready." If. Not when. Roy watched the pen spin around his fingers twice more before responding.

"Maybe he'll tell me at the ball." It was an altogether change in topic, not an agreement. Maes went with it.

"He agreed to go with you?" Maes sounded pleasantly surprised, and Roy allowed his lips to quirk in a genuinely amused smile for a moment.

"Of course." So, not yet, but it was a guaranteed yes. Maes laughed lightly on the other line.

"Well, you'll have to share him for at least one dance. My beautiful Elicia is bound to steal your spotlight and, if she has it her way, your date. Just you wait: she's going to be the light of the ball in her beautiful—" Roy cut off Maes' rambling when the conversation went back to Elicia.

"Goodbye, Maes." He hung up without waiting for a response.

Roy doubted Edward had just accepted that Roy believed him, but Roy wouldn't be bringing the issue up again anytime soon, so it didn't much matter. It may not have seemed like much, but he had made progress with Ed, and that wasn't something he was about to backtrack on. Ed would be suspicious, but he wouldn't lash out unless Roy gave him reason to believe that he was going to pry into areas Ed wanted left alone.

Roy was a calculated risk-taker, but this was a secret he would take his time over. He wouldn't let Ed rebuild the wall between them that he had worked so hard to break down. And he _had_ closed some of the distance between them, no matter what Ed would argue. Before this living together ordeal, Ed never would have gotten as close to him as he had while explaining creating transmutation circles. The way Ed's automail had brushed against Roy's arm; the way Ed had traced his transmutation circle with such an intense look in his eyes; the way he had complimented Roy's control— It was almost like Ed was trying to show him what they could have if he played his cards right. When Ed forgot about his need to be guarded against everyone all the time, Roy could almost taste their future together. It was rare, of course, only minutes at a time, but those minutes were enough.

He didn't love Fullmetal, but the potential was there.

Speaking of potential, Roy looked over the document directly in front of his chair. There were chimera rumored to have been created in Central, and Roy needed to figure out the quickest way to test the authenticity of the rumor and best deal with the chimera should they be real. The publicity he would receive from eliminating the threat would be extremely helpful, especially if he was able to do it before the ball. It was less necessary for the importance of protecting the people (since no attacks had been reported yet) as it was for the _pretense_ of protecting the people. Maes hadn't been joking when he had said that all eyes would be on Roy and Bradley. The elections would be coming up in a short two and a half years, and Roy was a strong candidate to knock the king off of his throne. It would take all of the political prowess he had when considering his age and rank, but the position of Fuhrer was determined by vote, and people were Roy's forte.

The ball was going to be nothing less than a performance. He had to woo everyone in that room. From reporters to soldiers to their dates to the catering crew; he needed them all to trip over themselves trying to get his attention. Well, almost everyone. Ed would probably still be fuming at the fact that he had been manipulated into going in the first place when at the ball, so Roy couldn't expect much from him. In all honesty, it would probably be better for Roy if Fullmetal didn't go at all. Actually, it would be in his best interest for Ed not to go so that he wouldn't have to deal with the damage control of a popular figurehead who hated him badmouthing him in front of everyone he needed to impress.

At the same time though, Roy wanted Ed to see him in his element. He wanted Ed to know that even though the blonde could see through his silver-tongue, it wasn't an average trait. He wanted Ed to be impressed at what Roy could do. It wasn't likely that Ed would ever admit to it aloud, but Roy didn't need Ed to speak to know what the younger man's opinion on him was. He wasn't new at the game. Not the game of reading people. Not the game of courting. Not the game of Edward Elric.

Besides, Fullmetal didn't like him, but he wouldn't purposefully ruin Roy's career. He might actually be able to help it. Roy leaned back at that thought. Ed had been sent on numerous missions involving chimera. He probably knew more about tracking them down than even the Intelligence Department.

Use every resource, right?

He would have to ask tonight after Ed finished explaining creating transmutation circles though. After tonight, the blonde wouldn't willingly be doing him any favors. Not for a while anyhow. Luckily, however, Roy had two lists of priorities (social and business), and Edward was only at the top of one. Equally luckily, the business list was currently more of a priority than the social list, so Roy didn't really need to Ed to be on speaking terms with him until after the chimera threat was dealt with and the ball had ended.

That brought him back to the question of who was going to accompany him. He had expressed to Maes that going alone may be the smartest option because it would both make him seem focused on his work and eligible, but it had the double edge of his audience wondering why he of all people was alone. Plenty of reporters would be there to start rumors, and Roy didn't need any bad publicity.

So, he needed a date; a classy one. He would cross off everyone that slept with him before the third date and everyone who had gotten into trouble since their last encounter. A charming personality was necessary, so not someone Roy had gone after for the novelty of it. They were all beautiful, eliminating that from the choice process entirely, but there were so many different kinds of beauties that Roy needed to decide which would best suit his purposes. For starters, did he want a man or a woman?

He had taken a man to the last two formal events, so it would make sense to escort a woman next. Whom though? Keira had an exotic air about her and would draw a pleasant amount of attention to them. Rebecca was a southern belle to the very core and would charm the hell out of anyone who would look in her direction without even meaning to. Lila had a more modern sort of beauty: always keeping up with trends and making sure to impress anyone who laid eyes on her. Ariel—

_Ariel_. She was a classic, timeless beauty. There was nothing in particular that stood out as her beautifying factor and no way to really categorize her beauty. She could pull off any of the other looks without even trying. It helped that she liked to keep up with politics, as it wouldn't do to have an idiot at his side. The company he kept reflected on how people viewed him, after all. Ariel was soft-spoken and polite. She had a rare elegance about her and table etiquette to match Roy's own. She was perfect. Decision made, Roy picked up the telephone and dialed a familiar number, waiting only two rings before it was picked up and a melodic voice came through the line.

"Hello?" Roy smiled as she spoke, content with his choice.

"Ariel? This is Roy." His voice was as smooth as silk.

"Roy? It's wonderful to hear from you again. How have you been?" Her tone when responding was far brighter than her initial greeting.

"I've been well, and as wonderful as it is to hear from you, I was actually thinking I would like to see you again soon." Roy tapped his pen on the signature line of the paper in front of him without actually writing anything.

"The ball this Saturday?" Roy's smile got a little wider. She was as sharp as ever.

"You know me so well. How does six sound?" He liked it when he didn't have to beat around the bush.

"Six sounds perfect. I'll see you then." Taking the words for the farewell they were, Roy bid her goodbye and hung up. Before he could turn his attention to the chimera reports once more, three sharp knocks sounded at his door and Riza let herself in. It had crossed his mind once or twice to take her to one of these events, but too many people assumed they were fraternizing already. It would be counter-productive for the both of them to encourage those rumors. Blue eyes swept over the paperwork which had only increased since he had left the night before, and Roy knew the chimera case would have to wait. First, he would have to placate his childhood friend's trigger finger. He was sure that she would never actually shoot him, but testing that surety wasn't on his list of things to do anytime soon.

Or ever, really.

**(***Intertwined***)**

Ed looked at Mustang from the other side of the table, waiting for the next question to arise. They had been walking through creating transmutation circles for the last hour and a half, and Ed had long since sat his book to the side so that he could properly pay attention to the man across from him. He had tried to multitask, but that just wasn't his strong suit, and Mustang had more irritating ways to keep his attention than his book did. Like igniting the fucking air in front of Ed's face. The larger problem with that was that Mustang hadn't spoken for a good ten minutes, and Ed's attention was quickly waning.

"Is there anything else, or can I get back to my research?" If Ed sounded irritated, it was because he was irritated. He had almost gotten his hair singed six damn times for assuming the man was finished digging for information when he wasn't. Mustang paused in his writing to look at Ed, that stupid fucking calculating look in his eyes.

"How do you track down a chimera?" For a full minute after the question was posed, Ed did nothing but stare stupidly. After that, his expression morphed into that of closed-off confusion.

"Why? One's on the loose and you want an extra man on your firing squad?" Ed's tone was accusatory, yes, but Mustang didn't react negatively to his biting suspicion.

"Not exactly." Mustang set his pen down, and Ed frowned more.

"No." The word was sharp, making it Mustang's turn to frown.

"I haven't said anything yet." His voice said Ed was being unreasonable, which irritated Ed more than the initial silence.

"You sat your pen down." At Mustang's deadpanned look, Ed explained. "Whenever you're overly damn confident that things will go your way, you sit your pen down. You used to tap it against whatever you were writing on, but you changed a couple of months back and now you do _that_." Ed pointed roughly in the direction of Mustang's pen before crossing his arms and squaring his shoulders, prepared for whatever bullshit excuse the devil was going to use. What he wasn't prepared for, however, was said devil's lips to twitch upwards. Mustang schooled his expression a split second later, but it didn't hold as his lips curled into a partial smile once more. This process repeated a final time before the colonel seemed to just give in and allowed a deep chuckle to escape amused lips.

Honestly, Ed had never seen Mustang laugh before. Not a real laugh, anyhow. He had heard plenty of the condescending half-scoff/half-laughs and polite, that's-not-really-funny-but-you're-influential chuckles, but never a genuine laugh. The blonde would never admit it aloud, but the colonel had a really nice laugh. When Mustang got control of himself, Ed was still staring.

"You really are something, Fullmetal." Mustang shook his head, expression still clearly amused, "I actually noticed my habit a while back and tried to correct it in public so no one else would notice, but it looks like I only succeeded in forming a new one." Ed stayed silent, not used to his superior officer speaking so much in one sitting or sharing so much in, well, ever. "There's rumor of chimera being created here in Central. I need to put an end to it, and you're the one with the most knowledge on them." Mustang met his eyes, mirth and something unidentifiable lingering there. "I don't want you to track them down. I just want some advice on how I should." Golden eyes stared, trying to find a lie or some sign of deceit but not seeing anything. After a lengthy silence, Ed looked away, suddenly finding his notebook far more interesting.

"Bring the files home with you tomorrow. I'll help you figure out how to start tracking, but you're on your own from there." He didn't really know why he was offering his help, but Ed had never been one to (if he could help it) overthink things. He was a man of action. Mustang had been rather… amicable lately, and Ed wasn't one to hold a grudge. Well, he was, but Mustang hadn't actually done anything but be a generalized asshole to Ed. It was hard to keep being crude to someone who was being nice(ish) to him.

"You could always just tell me, you know?" The teasing tone was back in the colonel's voice, and Ed's eyes shot back to the colonel as he mentally took back what he had thought about the man being nice-ish.

"Yeah, but you're a bit of a slow learner, so I figured you'd need all the help you can get." Ed was quick to jump back into their usual less-than-friendly banter, but his words weren't quite as biting. Mustang held his hands up in defeat, and Ed couldn't tell if he was being mocked or not.

"I'll bring the files tomorrow." Mustang still had a ghost of that amused smile on his damnable lips. Ed scoffed lightly, deciding on his own that this conversation was over and picking up his book and notebook to leave. The colonel made no move to stop him, and Ed made his way easily up the steps to his room. He looked at his books, contemplating reading some more before setting them on the stack near the door.

Chimeras, huh?

Ed had been on a lot of wild goose chases for chimeras where nothing came of it. He had killed just as many actual chimeras, he was sure. Slowly, Ed looked down at his hands. They were gloved, white cloth matching perfectly and connecting easily with bright red sleeves. Slowly, after glancing cautiously at the door twice, Ed tugged his gloves off. His stomach turned slightly, but he didn't allow himself to pause there. The cloak slid off next, and his shirt followed soon after. He didn't pause as he crouched to untie and remove his shoes, their formidable weight thumping on the floor before Ed finally let his pants drop and stopped to breathe.

He got into _moods_ sometimes; moods that not even Al had experienced firsthand, where Ed had to sit down and just deal with everything he had done in his life. First, he had to look down at himself and see the flesh and metal counterparts. He had to see how different they were and know how they would (should) have been had he not convinced Al to try and bring their mother back. He had to live with the fact that it could have been so much worse had his reflexes been even the smallest bit slower. He had to live with the fact that he could have killed the only thing he cared about. Being a partially metal side-show attraction didn't even count as a price when considering his younger brother's life was what he got to keep in return. No, it was a reminder of what could have been and a motivator to keep what he loved safe.

With Ed's picky Core, being attractive would have been wasted on him anyhow.

Next, he had to handle what he had done with those mismatched hands. So many lives had been ended at his hands. It hadn't just been chimeras, though he had killed more than his share of those; the chimera's creators were more often than not ended by him as well. So much blood had been spilled by his transmuted arm or the wreckage his battles caused. They weren't good people, no, but murder was still murder.

He couldn't stop at the blood that had been literally splashed on his hands, either. How many lives had ended because Ed just hadn't been fast enough or strong enough or smart enough? The one that stuck out the most – the one that always came to mind – was Nina. Ed had been there, _right there_, and just let it happen. He had been young and hopeful to redemption and the future, and then reality had brought him to his knees. Hard. Nina, sweet, sweet Nina, had died scared alone in an ally after being betrayed by the one person she had trusted most. She had died because Ed had been too focused on himself and becoming a State Alchemist. By this point, Ed was fairly sure it hurt so much because it was his first taste of what would soon surround him on all sides. He had been unprepared, and the blade had dug deep.

Ed had his fair share of scars – separate from the scars from his original attempt at human transmutation, of course – but they bothered him less. They were proof of what he had done and what had been done to him. Sometimes, they were what kept him grounded. He had to know that this wasn't just a nightmare he would wake up from. He had to heal up and move on, and any pain that followed would be his to bear. Most of the time, Ed could handle it. He lived in the moment with an awareness of the future, and the past could be learned from but not focused on. He didn't care about what other people thought. He didn't care if anyone saw how his past had scarred him, but he wouldn't let them see him like he was now. He wouldn't let them see that he couldn't hold the weight of the world at all points. Ed hadn't become the man he was without making more than his fair share of enemies.

He didn't care if he had to stare his past in the face at random intervals and take reality of everything he had done. He would do it all again if it would keep Al safe. Golden eyes stared down the two startlingly different hands, one a golden tan and the other a sleek silver, and Ed took a deep breath. He had done a lot of things that he wasn't proud of, but he would move on, and he would be a man that Alphonse would be proud to call Brother. The scars; the metal limbs; the blood staining his very existence: he could live with them. He would be fine.

Ed jolted out of his thoughts as he heard flesh hitting wood.

"Do you want anything in particular for dinner tomorrow?" Mustang had been doing all of the cooking (unless one of them decided to eat out), but he hadn't made a habit of asking Ed for his opinion. The blonde scowled at the older man's timing, hoping that the colonel wouldn't randomly decide to barge in.

"Make whatever you want." Ed wouldn't be surprised if his irritation showed in his voice. Honestly, this sudden niceness was making him paranoid. Mustang hadn't done anything that Ed could tell as of late, so he was probably trying to tip the balance in his favor in preparation either for something he had already done coming to light or for something he was about to do. Neither bade well for the blonde alchemist.

"Alright. Just thought I'd ask." Mustang's voice sounded like he was really only trying to be nice, and Ed scoffed, crossing his arms over his bare chest without thinking about it.

"Save your manipulating for someone who gives a shit, Mustang." There were a few seconds of silence following Ed's statement, and then Mustang spoke again.

"Good night, Fullmetal." There was something off about his voice: it was deeper than the moments before. Almost… _huskier_. There was also that damn amusement, but that was basically always there, so Ed didn't much take that into account.

"Night, Bastard." Ed heard footsteps retreating from his doorway after the dismissal, and he took one last look at himself before heading over to the bed. He supposed there really wasn't any reason to worry. If he could handle Mustang, he could handle anything.


	8. Wax

**Author's Note:**_ I dedicate this to _**TheRiddleUsurper**_ for sitting through and being supportive of so many of my stories._

**Warnings:**_ AU: that means that discrepancies in the storylines of this story and the canon are on purpose. Don't bother telling me that I'm wrong about where people live or who knows whom. Slash; Hetero; Whatever else I don't consider worth warning you about._

**Disclaimer:**_It's not mine._

Ed was furious. No, furious was too tame a descriptor. He was beyond furious. He was enraged. His footsteps were heavy as he marched through Central Command, Alphonse and Winry right behind him.

"Brother, I really don't think we need to do this." Alphonse was trying his best to be the voice of reason, but Ed wasn't having it.

"He's right, Ed. Why don't we just head back, and we'll—" Ed interrupted her, his voice reflecting how he felt as clearly as a mirror.

"No. He's not getting off the fucking hook this time, Winry. He's gone too far." Before she could respond, Ed made the last turn, flinging open the doors to Mustang's branch with ease. Breda, Havoc, Fuery, and Falman all looked up, the alarm in their faces and posture fading only slightly as they noted the purest form of anger tensing every muscle in Edward's body. Ed marched through the office area without pause, hardly noting that Al and Winry chose to stay at the entrance, waving unsurely at Mustang's men. Ed's hand rose, fingers already curled into a tight fist, and he prepared to knock, but that seemed far too civil for the conversation he wanted to have. Instead of simply rapping on the door, Ed dropped his arm back to his side, in its place raising his automail leg and kicking the wood as hard as he could. It gave way with ease. A shot was immediately fired, but Ed's reflexes took hold, forcing his body to dodge without him even thinking about it.

"Fullmetal, what are you—" Mustang sounded both confused and slightly irritated. Ed steamrolled him.

"You fucking son of a bitch. I don't care if you make _me_ move out of my place and uproot _my_ life for your sick fucking amusement, but you leave my family out of it!" He was shouting, and he knew that everyone was listening, but making a scene had never been a problem for the blonde. "What the fuck were you thinking bringing Al and Winry here? I've got enemies from here to Ishval and you're just placing them on a train and hoping? You of _all_ people should know what crazy mother fuckers are roaming around out there!" Ed's mouth moved without any words coming out for a few seconds, his anger and frustration and worry for what could have been all crushing together for a moment of haziness. "Damn it, Mustang, _what if something had happened to them_?" His voice dropped to a whisper, but none of the wrath left his voice, instead blending with fear and worry. Ed wasn't sure what he was going to say next, but he didn't have to worry about that as Al stepped in.

"Brother, please calm down." Al had made his way through the dead silent room to place a hand on Ed's shaking, flesh shoulder. "The colonel didn't make us come; he invited us. Resembool's academy is on break this week anyway, and we both wanted to see how you were doing. Plus, Winry is really excited about this dance that—" Ed turned suddenly, catching Al by surprise as he probably hadn't expected his words to reach Ed so easily.

"Did you say dance? As in the Annual Military Ball?" Golden eyes widened, most likely because Al rarely ever had Ed's temper turned on him, and Ed moved his attention back to his housemate. He had gotten all the answers he needed to connect the dots. "Did you fucking invite them here for the sake of your stupid ball and your damn reputation?" Ed paused, but Mustang didn't jump at his chance to explain, and Ed practically snarled, taking a fierce step forward only to have two hands grasp at either of his biceps to physically hold him back.

"Brother, _please_." Quite possibly the only thing in the world capable of saving Mustang from Ed's rage stepped in: Al's pleading. Two pairs of matching golden eyes met, one set much harsher and guarded than the other, before Ed moved to stare into obsidian orbs instead. "Just fucking stay at Maes' house tonight." And then, without giving the bastard a chance to say a word, Ed swung around and marched back out, nudging his brother in front of him and slamming the door behind him.

"Fucking bastard." The mutter was almost out of reflex, and Ed glanced around the room to see that everyone was still staring at him. He frowned, anger calming slightly now that he had both said his peace and didn't actually have anything against anyone in the room. Seeing nothing else to do, Ed waved a lazy hand in the air with a dull, "Sorry for the interruption," as he left the larger room as well, Al and Winry again at his heels.

Ed had been more than surprised to get to Mustang's house after his last class and see his brother and Winry in the kitchen. At first, he had been happy to see them. He loved them, and it had been months since they had been able to find time to get together, but his happiness had been overridden by their explanation for how they got in the house involving Mustang hiding a spare key for them. Mustang had brought them there without Ed's knowledge. _That_ was why the older man had been so nice as of late. He was making up for the fact that he was doing something Ed definitely wouldn't like. He was manipulating again.

Just like Ed had said in the bastard's office: Ed didn't care if people went after him. He didn't care if Mustang turned his life upside down. His brother though – the Rockbell family – they were off limits. If something, _anything_, had happened to them, Ed wouldn't have been able to live with himself. His mind raced with the possibilities as they all walked back to Mustang's place, and it was only after they reached their destination that Ed allowed his walls of fury to drop and the sheer relief to take hold. Ed turned to face his only family and childhood friend, ready to give some sort of half-assed apology for making a scene, when Winry cracked him over the head.

"Hey! What was that for?" Ed glared as he rubbed the sore spot on his scalp.

"For being a paranoid jerk. You never have time to visit anymore, and the one time we get a chance to come down here, you fly off the handle." Winry put her hands on her hips, berating Ed as though they were children again. "I don't expect you to be able to see past your pride to apologize, so I'm not even going to try, but it's really no wonder you get into trouble so often with a temper like that." Winry stuck her tongue out at Ed before waltzing past him and starting to rifle through the kitchen. "I swear, Edward. It's like you never left at all. I bet you skipped lunch again for some stupid book, didn't you?" She sounded half-exasperated/half-amused, and Ed didn't have time to defend himself before his stomach growled. Al laughed at Ed's expense while Winry hummed triumphantly, and Ed couldn't help but give a weak smile at the familiarity of it all.

They were safe, and Ed as long as Ed was around, that wouldn't be changing anytime soon. Gold met gold again, and Al's smile matched Ed's own. The younger Elric looked around the room, taking everything in. He had met Mustang once before this during one of his many dinner nights at Maes' house while Ed had been on the road, and Ed knew that Al had a fairly good opinion of the man. He chalked up Ed's dislike for the colonel as their personalities mixing like oil and water at most points, but they both knew that the disappointment of Mustang's Core played its own role in their relationship.

"Brother, didn't you have some new theories to show me?" Ed's eyes lit up at Al's question, and he was quick to turn and race up the steps, his brother's much lighter steps right behind him. When Ed opened the door to his room, Alphonse let out a low whistle. "This is amazing. And he gave you free reign?" Ed nodded off-handedly.

"Yeah; he pretty much leaves me to my own devices. I don't know what the bastard wants, but he's not doing a good job at getting it." Ed stepped over the books as he spoke, and Al hummed, a habit he had no doubt picked up from years spent with Winry.

"Have you ever thought that maybe he's just being nice?" Ed snorted derisively at Al's proposal, finished gathering his various journals, and made his way back out of the room. Mustang was just being nice like Ed was best friends with Envy.

"Since you're in for the week, I'll show you a few books that should really help your thesis later." Ed closed the door behind them, and the two men made their way down the stairs, a nice aroma starting to waft out of the kitchen. Ed took his usual spot at the table and Al slid down beside of him. The taller of the two didn't bother waiting for permission as he grabbed the top journal and started reading.

Al was the one person who picked up on Ed's thoughts nearly as quickly as Ed did. He thought Ed was brilliant for being able to come up with his theories, never failing to make a sense of pride well up in the elder Elric's chest. Al knew everything that was wrong with Ed, had heard about all of the fucked up shit he had seen and done, and yet he was still able to see Ed in such a positive light. He still loved Ed. Winry didn't even know the tip of the iceberg, but her love still meant more to Ed than he could say. The fact that they could love him. The fact that Maes could love him and Gracia could love him. The way that Elicia adored him, so much like Nina had before her, it all astounded him.

Al though, Al's opinion of Ed carried the most weight. He knew Ed inside and out. He was even willing to publish Ed's ideas under his own name, knowing that Ed was torn between the need to get the information out there and his hatred for the fame that would come with publishing. As much as he didn't care to make a spectacle of himself, he generally didn't like being the center of attention. Al fixed all of that. He published Ed's works along with his own. It wouldn't work if the taller man didn't understand the theories and concepts just as well as Ed himself, which sometimes took days or even months, depending on how complicated they were. Al took the time to do it though. Yes, Al loved the theories as much as Ed, but Ed's theories weren't Al's preferred focus. He did it because he loved his older brother.

Ed's attention snapped back to reality as Winry tugged his right arm up, none-too-gently pulling his cloak sleeve off. He jerked his arm back on instinct.

"What in the world are you doing?" Winry was never one to ask for permission to do what she wanted. In that aspect, they were perfectly alike.

"Dinner will be ready in ten. In the meantime, I'm going to check out the damage you've done to my precious automail." She tugged the red cloth from where it opened at his shoulder this time, and Ed leaned more towards Al.

"What makes you think I've messed it up? I haven't done anything remotely dangerous in months." Ed was quick to defend himself, and Al's chuckle took the place of whatever Winry's no doubt insulting response would have been.

"Come on, Brother, she's only worried about you. Just let her look at it." Alphonse, the only mild-mannered of the three, ended the argument where it stood, and Ed grumbled as he removed his signature cloak.

"Just don't fuck it up. I really like this one." Ed sneered the words, and Winry snorted, more than used to Ed's rough mannerisms.

"Like I could. My work is always perfect, and you should learn to appreciate that instead of constantly breaking it!" She sounded miffed, but as Ed looked down to see her pouring over his arm, he knew that wasn't the case (at the moment). She was the best mechanic there was, just like she claimed. She cared for the Elric brothers as though they really were her family, Al even more so. They wouldn't admit it to each other, but Ed saw the way they looked at one another when the other wasn't paying attention. Al had told Ed all about his feelings for Winry. They had spent nights on end with the younger brother just ranting about something she had done that had worried him or something sweet she had said or even how the moonlight hit her hair just right. Winry didn't say quite as much to Ed, but she had confessed her feelings over Al a good few times, always ending the conversation with a threatening wrench and a promise not to tell.

Ed wasn't sure if it was true love or not, but that was what it looked like to him. He would listen to their love troubles as long as they wanted, but they would have to let each other know on their own terms. Ed was a lot of things; he wasn't a middle-man. When the truth came out, it would be when they decided that they were ready.

"Brother, where does this connect?" Al pointed out a side-note Ed had scribbled on the edge of a sketch, and Ed leaned over only to get yanked back towards Winry with a harsh 'stay still.' Ed scowled while Al laughed, instead joining Winry in Ed's personal space to better ask his question.

Ed may not approve of Mustang's methods or motives, but he couldn't say he wasn't enjoying the results.

**(***Intertwined***)**

Roy tapped his fingers on the table, calmly waiting for his best friend to stop laughing.

"Roy, my friend, if there was doubt before, it's gone now. Ed is definitely your Gracia." Maes' lips were twisted into a delighted grin that Roy found more irritating than usual.

"I don't think him kicking me out of my own house for the night makes him my soul mate, Maes." Roy's words were deadpanned, all humor long gone. He had gotten enough jokes from his unit throughout the day, and that was without telling them that he had made the decision to actually heed Ed's words and spend the night at Maes'. When he had shown up at Maes' place, the other man had been surprised, but he had happily welcomed Roy in. Now, dinner had passed and Elicia was in bed. Gracia had left them to their own devices after assuring Roy that he could stay as long as he liked.

"No, but you allowing yourself to get kicked out does." Maes was taking way too much amusement out of it.

"I don't understand." The words tasted bad in Roy's mouth, so he washed them down with a sip of whiskey. "I knew he would be upset over why I brought them in, but that reaction—why would he be so afraid for them to travel?" Roy had never worried about any of his friends going across the country. They could take care of themselves, and Alphonse was no different. He was a successful, established alchemist. Maes took too long to answer, and Roy studied him more carefully.

The bespectacled man had leaned back in his chair, his smile gone as he watched Roy back in a way that let the colonel know that he was deciding how much information he should hand out. He had a white V-neck on, his upper body nicely toned despite his lack of time in the field. Dark liquid swirled in Maes' glass as he mulled over his thoughts, and Roy waited for the other man to speak. Nothing he could say would make Maes decide any faster, so he may as well keep as many cards in his hand as possible until the chance to use them arrived.

"When Ed was younger, Al had decided to meet him on one of his missions for a few days." Roy blinked at the words. He had read every one of Ed's reports, and he had never heard of Alphonse being present. "On the way there, someone realized who he was, and Al was captured. He's a strong fighter—he takes after his brother – but there's a difference between knowing the motions and theories and putting them into practice. He was taken, and Ed almost lost him." Maes stopped, and Roy took in the information presented to him. Ed had no doubt taken what had happened to heart and placed the blame firmly on his own shoulders.

"Alphonse could have told him though. I presented the idea of it being a surprise, but there's no way he of all people wouldn't know how Fullmetal felt about him travelling on his own." Alphonse didn't care anywhere near enough for Roy to value Roy's preference of it being a surprise over Edward's paranoia.

"Honestly, Roy? I think a big part of it is because you were behind it." Maes was watching Roy carefully, gauging his reaction. Roy didn't bother to mask his frown. He and Ed had, well, they hadn't exactly been getting along lately, but they had been doing better. "He doesn't trust you. In fact, he doesn't just _not_ trust you, he _dis_trusts you." Roy sat his whiskey down, not liking the way this conversation was going but wanting to be at full attention for it. "I know you mean well, but planning out how to get him is only going to push him away. He's used to people trying to control him from every angle. If you really want him, you need to be the one who doesn't. You need to talk to him, Roy. Really talk." Maes gave it to him as straight as he could, and the colonel sighed, knowing that when it came to romantic advice, Maes was never wrong.

Roy could attract anyone he wanted, but only superficially. Maes knew about love. That, above all else, was why Maes had Ed accepting his place in the Hughes family and Roy had Ed forcibly staying in his home. Fullmetal just didn't _do_ superficial. He didn't trust Roy, and Roy hadn't done much to inspire trust between them. It would make sense that his paranoia would have skyrocketed once Roy entered the picture. Roy, who always had an ulterior motive. Roy, who had reached out to Ed's brother with an unknown motive. Roy, who had placed his brother in possible danger for a motive that ended up being a _dance_. A dance and Roy's ever-important reputation. Alphonse's life for politics: another thing that Edward despised.

Yet again, Roy had to concede to the elder Elric. He had planned everything out down to the last detail, and Edward had bypassed everything that Roy had taken into account and done something unpredictable. Again and again and _again_, Roy found himself bested by the young man without Ed even trying. Looking back with the new facts, he had gone about it all wrong. He was still in the wrong. He didn't just want Ed to stop seeing him as an enemy. He wanted golden eyes to see him as a friend. He wanted to know Ed like Maes did; better than Maes did. Roy wanted Ed to smile at the thought of bonding with him instead of sneer.

The colonel sighed, picked up his whiskey, and downed the rest of the glass.

"I'll go talk to him." Roy pushed back his chair, which had both his uniform jacket and petty coat hung on the back, but Maes got up just as quickly, smile back in place and hands firmly on Roy's shoulders.

"Oh, no, no, no. You've been kicked out, remember?" Maes sounded absolutely gleeful. "You can't talk to him until tomorrow." His amusement was back in full force, just as clear as before their bout of serious conversation, and Roy pursed his lips.

"It's _my_ house." Ed was a guest. He couldn't actually kick Roy out. Maes just pushed Roy back into his chair and turned away, a grin on his face to match when he had first convinced Roy to go on blind dates. Seconds later, the man returned with two clean glasses, a bottle of milk, and a plate of cookies.

"Roy, you're a man in love." Maes picked up a cookie and took a bite, the act of chewing doing nothing to hide his shit-eating grin. "It's high time you spent a night on the couch." Roy groaned at the words, knowing too well that there was no way to escape his best friend's home now, and reached for a clean glass. He may not be in love, like Maes believed, but he was willing to fall, and that was more than Roy had ever been able to say before.

"Then fill me up, bartender." Maes smiled, pouring them both a tall, cold glass of milk and handing it over. Roy reached for one of Gracia's famous cookies, tapping it against Maes' own in some form of a childish toast before taking a bite.

"You know, one day it might be me over at your house eating Ed's cookies." Maes's grin reminded Roy of when they were teens gossiping about the girls across the way in the military academy, back before the Civil War. Roy scoffed.

"He can't cook." Roy finished off his cookie and went for another. "The man walks circles around legendary alchemic theorists and can't boil a pot of water without clapping first." The colonel had gotten more than a little humor out of walking in on the blonde trying to make his own dinner.

"Still? Al had mentioned he was terrible at it when they were younger, but I figured he would have learned by now." Maes' grin turned mischievous. "Elicia, however, is a wonderful cook! She helped make these, you know. I'm actually thinking of getting her a little chef's hat and apron. I think she'd be so cute and…" Maes rambled on about his daughter and how wonderful she was, and Roy rolled his eyes but let the other continue as he pleased. It had been a long time since they had just hung out, no business or problems or planning. They couldn't really afford to be spontaneous these days (not that Roy had ever been a very spontaneous man), and it was a nice change. Roy glanced over the pictures that Maes had brought out with only mild interest as he took another bite of his cookie.

It really was delicious, and Roy would be lying if he said that he didn't find it impressive that such a little girl could make them. If Ed tried… well, it was a good thing that the blonde didn't drink milk because Roy was sure he would need something to wash the mess down with.

He supposed the fact that he looked forward to eating them despite the taste spoke for itself.

**(***Intertwined***)**

Ed glanced up as Mustang entered the classroom. He had been surprised when the colonel had actually listened to him and stayed out of the house, and his guilt had only grown since. As much of an ass as Mustang was, and as much as he had no right to go behind Ed's back and use his family just to make sure that Ed would go to a ball, Ed had no right to storm into Mustang's office and humiliate him. Instead of heading straight for Ed though, the colonel just went to his normal seat and sat down, as though nothing had happened. Honestly, that almost made him wish Winry hadn't made the point about not going to school during vacation so that Al would face the music with him. Not that Al would do much more than point out that whatever Mustang had to say was right, but his presence would still be welcomed.

Mustang was a master at planning things out while Ed preferred to deal with them on the fly. That meant that the man had all night to figure up a way to get back at Ed while the blonde had spent those hours discussing his theories with his younger brother and listening to Winry talk about her plans to improve both the shop and his automail. The class period was spent with Ed glancing between the clock and Mustang, neither giving him any peace of mind. Come break time, Ed had done enough waiting. He stood from his seat, probably for the first time that semester, and walked towards Mustang. Tringham stopped talking as Ed approached, and the rest were quick to follow his gaze. Lust looked amused, Tringham unimpressed, Sheska embarrassed, Greeling mildly interested, and Mustang curious. Ed squared his shoulders, feeling as though he was about to go to war.

"We need to talk." Ed almost cringed at his own lack of finesse, but talking about his feelings had never been his strong suit. He didn't have too much pride to apologize when he was wrong, but it wasn't exactly easy to bare his neck, either. Mustang cocked a slim brow.

"Alright, after class we can—" Ed cut Mustang off with a displeased frown.

"Now, Mustang." Okay, so he wasn't exactly in a position to be demanding, but patience had never been one of Ed's virtues. Ed watched Greeling give a toothy grin at the words before his attention was drawn back to the colonel, who had stood in preparation to leave.

"Roy, why are you listening to this punk? Hasn't he forced you into enough already?" Tringham didn't look happy with the way the conversation was going, and he wasn't afraid to say it. Sheska gave the youngest man there a disapproving look for his words, letting Ed know that Mustang had never implied that he had been strong-armed into choosing Ed. The Humunculi siblings just looked pleasantly amused. Fucking sadists.

They passed Armstrong on their way out, Mustang giving him a meaningful look that the muscular man returned. It wasn't until they reached a deserted classroom that Ed bothered to stop, knowing that Armstrong didn't expect them back on time. His braid swung around with the force that he turned as Ed prepared to just say what was on his mind and take whatever lashings that colonel decided he deserved.

"I'm sorry." Golden eyes blinked confusedly at the words.

"What? Why the hell are you apologizing? I'm the one who went off on you and made a scene in front of your men. And then…" Ed hesitated, feeling more embarrassed then he would like to admit, "and then kicked you out of your own house." Ed looked off to the side at that last part, not really wanting to take credit for how childish he had been. "I mean, I don't regret telling you off because you totally fucking deserved that, but I shouldn't have done it while you were at work." Golden eyes swiveled back to meet obsidian, "And in my defense, I didn't think you'd fucking listen to me and actually stay at Maes'. I mean, it's _your_ house." Though it was probably for the best that he did, as Ed hadn't calmed down and seen what Al was trying to explain to him about how he handled the situation until breakfast that morning. That wasn't on the list of things he needed to tell his superior officer though.

"You're right. You shouldn't have come to my work with your personal business." Ed cringed at the words, prepared for whatever reprimands he would receive. "You're also correct in that I deserved it." Ed was more than surprised to hear that, and this time when gold met ebony, he couldn't have looked away if he had tried. "I shouldn't have went anywhere near your family. I wanted you to attend the ball, and I knew that Ms. Rockbell would love to go. I equally knew that if she and your brother went, they would convince you to attend, whether you liked it or not. I crossed a line, and I apologize." He sounded so much more refined in his apology than Ed had, and not for the first time, the major felt like a little kid standing next to a well-rounded adult.

"It… it's not fine, but you couldn't have known I would be so against it—" Mustang interrupted Ed, and the blonde frowned but allowed it to happen.

"I couldn't have known Alphonse had been kidnapped before, no," Mustang paused, and Ed took in that Maes must have explained it the night before, "but I should have taken into account that you have enemies, and I should have protected them accordingly. Look, Fullmetal, I know you don't trust me. I haven't given you any reason to trust me. If we want to survive these next few weeks together, we have to change that." Mustang stopped speaking, seeming to be thinking something over, and Ed didn't dare speak, should whatever understanding they had be lost with the silence. "I'm manipulative. It's how I work, and that won't change anytime soon. I'll go behind your back, and I'll tug you one way or the other if I think that will get me what I want, but I'll try and do it less often, and if you call me out on it, I promise to tell you the truth." Before Ed could express his doubt, the colonel continued.

"In return, you have to show me some benefit of the doubt. I know you're used to people using you for their own gain, and I can't promise I'll never do that, but know that nothing I've ever done has been meant to harm you. I _am_ selfish, there's no getting around that, but if getting what I want would hurt you, I'd rather give it up." Ed stared long after Mustang had finished speaking. There had to be a reason he was saying this. There had to be an ulterior motive. There had to be… but dark, intelligent eyes were sincere. Mustang held out a hand, his left one, for Ed to shake. "Do we have a deal?"

Edward would admit he was more than a little suspicious of this offer. Mustang was right: he had never had a reason to trust the colonel. He had always been a good judge of when someone was lying though, and all he saw in Mustang at the moment was a sincere proposal. It would certainly make life easier. He wouldn't have to worry as much about the man always using him as a puppet. Could he actually trust that the colonel would keep his end of the bargain though? _Could he actually trust the colonel?_ Ed put his flesh hand out, keeping it mere inches away from Mustang's own as he spoke.

"Why did you choose me?" If the man told the truth, Ed would agree to the deal. If he lied or tried to get around the question again, things would go back to the way they were. Obsidian orbs refused to release their hold on golden ones, and Ed could almost see the cogs turning in the colonel's mind. Without warning, Mustang's hand clasped itself with Edward's, and the younger man was tugged forward until his chest was flush against the older man's and their lips were perfectly connected in a chaste kiss.

Ed's Core soared at the contact, leaving him no way to even think about biting back the soft moan that left his mouth. Mustang pulled away only seconds later, his eyes studying Ed for any reaction that the blonde would give him. Golden eyes blinked, disoriented to what, exactly, had just happened, but the way Mustang was looking at him—the way his hand held Ed's own, continuously sending sparks through the younger man's body, said enough.

"_That's why_." The words were a breathless whisper, still almost too loud in the dead silence of the classroom, and Ed found his hand gripping Mustang's back in a firm shake without his complete consent.

An instant later, Ed came out of his stupor and jerked his hand away, moving back so that his body was well out of Mustang's personal space and, more importantly, Mustang was out of his. He had just—they had just—Ed had never kissed anyone before. He wasn't sure if it was because his Core had been sent into overdrive or if Mustang was just a phenomenal kisser or both, but it had felt good. More than good. Ed took in a shaky breath as he stared at the colonel, more wary than ever despite their truce. Roy Fucking Mustang couldn't like him. It wasn't possible. The satisfied smirk sitting on arrogant lips said otherwise though, and Ed didn't need a mirror to know he was blushing.

"We should get back to class." Ed licked his lips, half expecting them to taste different from normal and pleasantly surprised to find that they didn't. Mustang only ran his eyes slowly over Ed's form, taking all of him in, and after a minute, Ed's lips twisted into an irritated frown. "Don't think for a minute that I won't kick your ass into next week if you pull a stunt like that again." Mustang chuckled at the threat, his laugh deep and soft, as he raised his gloved hands into a mock-defensive position.

"Understood." But that calculating glint was back, and Ed knew the man wouldn't be giving up whatever he was scheming anytime soon.

"I still don't trust you." Ed put more distance between them as he spoke, feet already heading for the door.

"I didn't expect you would." Mustang sounded amused, and Ed rolled his eyes before opening the door to the classroom. He didn't know how serious the colonel was about what he had just done. Ed wasn't even entirely sure he wanted to confirm or deny anything, but all of that could wait. For the moment, Ed was just glad to have reached some sort of agreement with the man.

They could hash out Ed's unwillingness to be one of Mustang's play-things later.


	9. Nails

**Author's Note:**_ This story is unfolding before me, and I can't wait to see how you guys take the next few plot twists._

**Warnings:**_ AU: that means that discrepancies in the storylines of this story and the canon are on purpose. Don't bother telling me that I'm wrong about where people live or who knows whom. Slash; Hetero; Whatever else I don't consider worth warning you about._

**Disclaimer:**_It's not mine._

Class had ended by the time they headed to classroom again, and Ed decided the best plan of action was to quickly gather his things, skip the next class, and go find his brother and Winry. They would want to hear about this new development, and Al would know what Ed should do. The door opened before they could enter the room, and Ed was surprised to see the two people he had been thinking about on the other side.

"Al?" Before his question could get any farther, Al had grabbed Ed and pulled him into the room, his back pressed firmly against his younger, taller brother's chest with the boy's arms wrapped protectively around him. Ed glanced up to see the younger Elric glaring dangerously at Mustang.

"Are you alright, Brother? We came to meet you after class, but Alex said you and the colonel had left halfway through." Throughout the entire speech, golden eyes didn't stop silently threatening Mustang, and Ed cocked a brow.

"I'm fine, Al. You know I can handle the bastard." Al just hummed at Ed's defense, not explaining his own odd behavior as he pulled Ed even closer and thereby even farther from Mustang. Ed glanced curiously at the other state alchemist, confused at what he had done to put Al so on edge.

"Manhandle him all you want later, for now, we need to go shopping." Winry moved to block Ed's view, a grin on her face that Ed's wallet knew too well. "I haven't been in Central in a while, and I need supplies. Not to mention a dress for the ball, and I'm sure that you don't have anything to wear, let alone something for Al to borrow. He's gotten even taller, you know." She smiled sweetly as Ed frowned, well aware that his younger brother towered over him at an even six feet.

"What makes you think I'm going to pay for your supplies? And what do you need a dress for? We aren't going to the stupid ball." Winry straightened up at his refusal, her arms crossing over her bosom.

"You're buying my supplies because it's your fault they get broken, and we _are_ going. It's every beautiful, young girl's dream to get swept off her feet in a beautiful dress by a beautiful man at a stunning ball." She sighed dreamily before waving a wrench that she had pulled from thin air in his face, a sweetly determined, more than threatening look on her face. "We've already got the beautiful, young girl and the stunning ball, and you aren't going to stand in the way of me finding the beautiful man just because you're too cheap to provide the beautiful dress!" The wrench got a little too close to Ed's face for his comfort, especially since he couldn't back away with Al behind him. Ed looked up in time to see the disappointment flash across Al's face at the mention of Winry looking for another man to sweep her off her feet, and Ed sighed, knowing this was a battle he had long since lost. "Now, come on! We're going to need all the time we can get!" She grabbed both Ed and Al's arms, hooking their elbows together as she successfully separated the brothers. Winry dragged them out of the too-small door that the colonel had smartly moved away from, giving nothing more than a quick, "Later, Mustang!" before dragging them out of the school building.

Seven dress shops were visited, too many dresses to count were tried on, and it wasn't until it was dark outside that she finally decided on a gorgeous, incredibly expensive, blue ball gown that brought out her eyes and had Al swooning like nothing else. It tied around her neck with an open back and had dainty, gold designs at the bottom that served to complement her hair and tan complexion. It hurt his wallet, but only half as much as the matching jewelry and shoes. He didn't even want to think about how much their custom suits had cost.

Ed and Al had gotten their suit measurements at the first store, neither of them picky or even sure what they were buying, and allowed Winry to make all of the fashion choices for them. Neither had been allowed to see what she had decided on, the woman insistent on surprising them, but Ed had seen her secretly purchase a blue tie to match her dress at the final store. Ed sighed as he watched Al carrying their new things, knowing that she only did this to Ed's bank account but not really minding. It wasn't as though he had anything to spend it on.

The only thing she was finished with, of course, was acting like a girl as she immediately changed direction to her favorite mechanics' shop. Three mechanics shops were visited, and both Ed and Al had their arms full of bags by the time Winry declared the day over. They had shopped until the dead of night, eaten amazing food at a restaurant Ed had never been to before, stopped Al from taking home every stray cat the city had to offer, and had more fun than Ed could remember having in a long while. The walk to Mustang's would take a good forty five minutes, which would suck with all of the metal he was carrying, but Ed had to admit the trip had been fun. It was nice to just hang out with them again. Even with Al flipping out over Mustang kissing him and berating Ed on letting the man get too close.

Without warning, Ed's senses went on high alert, and Ed tossed a hand out to silence Al's story. The younger man narrowed his eyes in confusion, glancing around the dark, empty street to see what had put Ed on edge but coming back with nothing.

"Ed, what are you—" Ed silenced Winry by shoving all of the bags he had been carrying into her empty arms.

"Run back to Mustang's as fast as you can and don't stop until you get there." Ed wasn't sure what was out there, but he knew it wasn't good. Al's eyes narrowed worriedly at the order as Winry situated the merchandise that had been shoved on her.

"Brother—" Al was cut off by a meaningful look from his older sibling.

"Keep her safe." The importance of the order was clear, and Al only hesitated a moment longer before giving a decisive nod and turning to run, Winry right beside of him after one more concerned look at Ed. Once they were gone, Ed took in his surroundings more carefully, not liking that he was unable to find where the thing was hiding. He didn't have to wait long as a beast more than twice his size leapt from the shadows, barely giving him time to put his arm up in defense. It tackled him to the ground, teeth immediately latching onto his arm while one large paw dug into his abdomen, ripping one of his favorite shirts in the process.

Ed sneered as he maneuvered the soles of his shoes against the thing's belly and kicked as hard as he could. It thrashed when hit, an angry growl communicating how the beast felt about being forced back, teeth leaving scrapes across his automail as it detached itself. Edward got to his feet without taking his eyes off of what was now obviously a chimera, letting his red cloak drop to the ground behind him nearly out of habit. It figured that the second Mustang would bring up the possibility of a chimera existing, it would attack Ed.

The creature was one of the nastier creations Ed had seen: its head something between a wolf and a tiger with a torso that could have been human if not for the fur. Large arms formed into dangerously large paws with what Ed now knew were incredibly sharp claws. The lower body had a long, whip-like tail and hooved feet meant for running things down. Ed crouched into a defensive position, knowing that this wouldn't be one of his easier fights, and quickly transmuted his lance into existence. The bright blue light seemed to bring the chimera back to reality as it snarled and came at Ed again.

Unlike the first attack, Ed was ready, and when the beast came for his face, he made sure the middle of the lance was there to chew on instead. The weapon broke almost immediately, and Ed took the moment of confusion for the chance it was to slam his automail fist, lance blade and all, into the chimera's face. The thing howled as its cheek was ripped open, its body moving a few feet to the side at the force of the blow. Ed didn't waste time putting his hand to the ground to transmute spikes leading from him to the chimera. It leapt away as soon as it sensed the impending danger, but the thing was made with more strength than speed, and its underside didn't escape the sharpness of the spikes. All of these blows only served to make it angrier, however, and it rushed at Ed, letting him know that there were horns next to its ears by digging them into his chest.

Its paw smashed harshly against Ed's automail, claws curling out to dig into the metal, and Ed cringed as he felt some of his control over the limb slip away with the blow. Anger swiftly took hold, and Ed lifted his arm up, the monster's arm coming along with it, to curl his fingers into its mane. He yanked as harshly as his malfunctions would let him, simultaneously dragging the beast's head back, its horns up his chest, and breaking its arm, which couldn't detach from Ed's own in time. The chimera struggled away from his hold, cracking Ed in the face with its own skull to loosen his grip before leaping back again, howling in pain and rage with one arm limp at its side. It had obviously identified Ed's automail as its worst threat, and Ed lightly wished for the days when these things couldn't think for themselves.

It dove forward once more, and Ed transmuted knuckle-dusters onto his automail hand, making sure to punch the beast directly on the wounded part of its face, succeeding in slicing open the area just below its eye as well. He was able to land three hits, as the chimera was better prepared for his strength by that point, before it turned and took Ed's hand into its mouth, seeming not to care about the damage the spikes caused as it bit down as hard as it could, no doubt damaging its teeth as they cracked through his automail.

Ed's face twisted in distaste, knowing he needed to end this soon or he would be a goner. The Fullmetal Alchemist yanked back as hard as he could and, without his consent, screamed as he felt the nerve endings being pulled with the automail. He ended up leaving half of his arm in the thing's mouth. It kept crunching for a full minute before realizing that Ed was no longer attached to the limb and spitting it out. Well, the blue light as Ed transmuted what was left of his arm into a blade probably helped that realization.

This time, it was Ed who lunged at the creature, faking a punch before roundhouse-kicking it in the chest with his automail leg and knocking it to the ground. It didn't have a chance to get up before Ed destroyed whatever bones hadn't been broken by his previous attacks via slamming the blade deep into its skull; right through the original wound. He didn't allow his strength to let up until he felt the force of solid ground stopping his blade, and Ed grimaced as he saw lifeless eyes looking up at him, the creature's blood spattered across his upper body. Slowly, he sighed, acknowledging that yet another life had been ended at his hands as he stood, blade slipping out of the still-warm carcass so that he could transmute it back into what was left of his arm. His good hand picked up the remains of his automail as he began the trek to find a pay-phone and call his housemate.

Only, Ed didn't actually know Mustang's number. He had only called _from_ it, never _to_ it. Ed heaved an ever deeper sigh, before spotting a phone booth a few yards away. He went to it and dialed the only number he knew would get him a response.

"Hughes' household. Maes speaking." Maes sounded happy, and Ed frowned guiltily, hating to interrupt the soldier's family time.

"Hey, Maes, it's Ed." Before Ed could say anything else, Maes was speaking again, his tone less jovial and more that of a concerned parent.

"Ed? Is something the matter?" Ed supposed he must be in pretty rough shape if Maes could tell something was off just from his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just… could you get Mustang to come down to the old mill off of First Street? I just confirmed his chimera problem." Ed tried to lighten the situation with a laugh, but it ended up being more of a cough than anything else. Geez, how hard had that thing hit him? Maes' end of the line went silent for a few seconds before the older man's voice came through once more.

"I'll get right on it. My house is closer, so I should get there first, but he shouldn't be far behind. Just stay put, alright?" Ed nodded while he spoke, ignoring the fact that there was no one around to see his actions.

"Yeah. I'll be here." Not like there were many other options.

"Good." A pause, "Are you sure you're alright?" This time, Ed really did chuckle, though it had a dash of bitterness mixed in with the humor.

"I've been through a lot worse than this; believe me." More silence on the other end.

"Alright. I'll see you soon." Ed hung up before he heard the dial tone, his feet moving him back to the carcass of the chimera to sit and wait.

Winry was going to kill him for the damage he had done, but at least he had confirmed the rumors: there were definitely chimeras being made in Central.

**(***Intertwined***)**

Roy watched Alphonse pace a hole in his kitchen floor, Winry sitting at the table with him but preferring to stare into her tea. It had been twenty minutes since they had gotten back without Ed. The younger Elric's immediate reaction was for them to hop into Roy's car and go back to find Ed, but Roy was quick to put a stop to that line of thought. If something actually was there, the chance that Ed had beaten it quickly and was on his way back was high. The chance that he was still fighting and had sent them back to Roy so that he would keep them safe was equally high. It was the second option that kept him grounded. Ed was far from weak; he could more than hold his own in a fight. If Roy went to help him, Alphonse would insist on tagging along, and there was a good probability that Winry would follow as well. If Ed had sent them back here to keep them safe, Roy would keep them safe.

So, there they sat, or in Alphonse's case, paced, until the phone rang. The younger Elric jumped at the sound, and Roy had to shoot him a pointed look to stop the younger man from answering. There was no telling if the person on the other line was Ed or not, and he didn't need the world knowing that both Elrics were staying at his house.

"Mustang residence." Roy prided himself on sounding like it was just another night.

"Roy, are you free?" Roy frowned as Maes' voice came through the line. He never called this late unless something was wrong. "Actually, it doesn't matter. Drop whatever you're doing and head down to the old mill off of First Street; the one near the bakery you like. Ed's had a run-in with that chimera you were about to look for, and he didn't sound like he made it out unscathed. I assume Al and Winry are with you?" Maes didn't like assuming things; he liked definitive answers. Roy didn't bother asking how Maes knew they had arrived in town.

"Yeah. They're here." He glanced over at the two blondes to see them glance at each other, obviously convinced that Roy was speaking to Ed.

"Good. I'm about to head down there now with a first aid kit. See you soon." The urgent note in Maes' voice left no room for extra conversation. Roy hung up the phone and began to walk towards the door, hand already reaching for his keys.

"Was it Brother? Is he okay?" Al's attention was focused solely on Roy, and the colonel lightly noted that the man would do well in an interrogation room if the matter involved his brother.

"It was Maes. Ed found a chimera. We don't know anything else." Roy opened the door, his impatience finally showing as he looked back to his newest houseguests. "Are you coming or not?" They moved as quickly as the words had come out, both eager to check on the final member of their little family. Winry slid into the front seat, next to Roy, and Alphonse practically jumped into the back. Roy didn't bother telling them to buckle up, instead pulling out of his driveway and going more than a little over the speed limit. They reached the mill without issue, and Roy stopped his vehicle next the Maes'. Alphonse and Winry were out of the car before Roy could turn it off.

When Roy got out of the car, he walked over to the five figures in the darkness. Alphonse and Winry were both talking to Ed, who looked to be alright, and Maes stood in between the trio and what Roy assumed was the chimera. It was a ghastly thing, different animals mixing almost unidentifiably with an unnaturally bent arm and barely-intact skull. Fullmetal had certainly done a number on the beast. As Roy got closer, Winry's body stopped blocking the number that the beast had done back to Edward, and Roy felt his lips morph into a frown.

Ed's shirt had basically been ripped off of him, the scraps of cloth left doing nothing to hide the deep gashes running up his chest or the dark bruises beginning to form. His metal shoulder was an angry red where it met with scarred skin; skin which had a light amount of blood coming out of it, most likely from whatever force had ripped half of his arm off. That was only if the scrap metal hanging from his shoulder could even be called an arm anymore.

"Fullmetal, are you—" Ed cut Roy off with an irritated glare.

"I'm fine! I'm fine, already! Geez, would you guys stop it? These are barely scratches," he motioned to the deep gashes stretching from his abdomen to his upper chest, "and Winry'll fix this right up, so…" Ed trailed off, and Winry jumped into the conversation.

"Fix it right up? Ed, this will take all day tomorrow! You're lucky we did the shopping today and even luckier I came prepared for you to have dented it up! This though—" she moved the limb to prove her point, stopping short when Ed's body stilled completely, his face twisting into a pained grimace. Winry frowned concernedly, carefully lowering the mangled metal back to Ed's side. "You even managed to damage the nerve circuits, you dummy. We're going to have to remove this tonight if you want to keep all of your mobility." She sounded annoyed, but it was clear that she didn't like to see the blonde in pain. Roy looked over Ed another time before moving his attention over to the carcass and lastly to Maes. Brown met obsidian, and the Intelligence specialist nodded, giving Roy the go-ahead to call in backup. He would take credit for discovery, as planned, and as soon as Ed's story checked out, get Maes to take the Elric brothers and their childhood friend back to Roy's house. Roy would join them shortly after the situation was cleaned up.

He made his way over to the nearest phone booth, drops of blood letting him know that it was the same one Ed had used, and called the necessary militia to deal with a dead chimera. They arrived within minutes and, after a choppy, hour-long report involving a lot of, "I just fucking killed it, okay?" and "I'm not going to the damn hospital!" Ed was able to leave with Maes, Winry, and Alphonse.

Questions about why and how Roy had come across the chimera and what he was going to do next kept him away for another full two hours, and it wasn't until around three in the morning that he was able to go home. When he finally got back into the house, he was greeted by Maes and Alphonse chatting quietly on the couch. Roy stripped off his petty coat and uniform jacket, hanging them both on the rack by the door.

"Where's Fullmetal?" Maes stood at his question, sitting down the cup of tea he had fixed himself on the coffee table and walking over to the colonel with a tired smile.

"He's up in his room. Resting. After Winry removed the remaining part of his arm, I was able to patch him up pretty well. Winry fell asleep after starting on Ed's new arm, and we laid her down with him." Maes put a comforting hand on Roy's shoulder as he passed by, no doubt needing to get back and report to his worried wife. "He's going to be fine, Roy." After a firm squeeze, Maes dropped his grip on Roy and made his way out. "You all get some rest. I'll be checking in later." The farewell was directed at both Alphonse and Roy, barely caught as the door closed behind his retreating figure.

"How are you holding up?" Roy knew that this was probably taking a higher toll on Al than anyone else, but the young blonde didn't answer the way the colonel had expected him to. Maybe it was just an Elric thing.

"What do you want with my brother?" The question was straightforward, golden eyes boring into Roy's own. Roy exhaled, knowing if he ever wanted anything with Edward he was going to have to get Alphonse's approval first.

"He's my intended." Roy wouldn't lie. It felt good to say that to someone other than Maes. Alphonse immediately leaned forward, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"He can't be! He's got—" if possible, Alphonse's eyes widened even further, "you-_you've_ got…" He covered his eyes with the heels of his palms and groaned. "Damn it, Brother." Roy cocked a brow.

"I've got what?" Roy kept his tone and expression lightly curious, concealing his suspicions that whatever Alphonse was going to say had something to do with what Ed and Maes were hiding.

"You've got a contract with the _military_." Alphonse practically spit the word military, and Roy frowned, unsure if the hesitation before speaking was because the boy was lying or if he really just felt that strongly about the subject. "Brother hates the military. As soon as his contract is up, he's going to leave, cutting all ties with it. Maes is the only person he'll keep up with, I'm sure." A pause. "Edward's going to move back to Resembool with us." Alphonse's words were forceful and rang with truth, but if there was one thing the Elric brothers had in common, it was that they sucked at lying. That wasn't what Alphonse had reacted to. As much as Roy hated to admit it: cover story or not, the younger alchemist had a point. Edward hated the military while the military was Roy's entire future.

Roy had assumed that he would convince Ed would join his unit after school ended. Even though the man would be constantly sent into the field, Roy would be able to keep much better tabs on him; to steer the major away from the nastier assignments. It would even be acceptable for him to work with Maes in Central's Intelligence department. Not only would it be safer, but he would be able to put his extensive intelligence to good use as well as keep up his theories. He would have two years to convince Ed that the military could be his future, too.

Unless Ed wouldn't consider him a prospect because of his ties to the military. Ed hated everything that Roy thrived on, save alchemy. Roy hadn't thought it an issue until that point, as Ed had no choice for two more years. Had he lost the battle before it even began? Obsidian orbs narrowed.

No. No, Ed wouldn't judge someone based on background. Whether or not Roy was in the military wouldn't make or break his chances. After all, Fullmetal hadn't broken Roy's jaw when the colonel had kissed him. He had moaned. Soft and low and unintentional: just enough to tease. Which meant that Alphonse was hiding something. Strong black brows scrunched together as Roy studied the younger Elric. Could he hide something that Roy had though? Something that Ed had, yes, but something Roy had? Something they had in common?

Roy controlled his expression and body language as an idea –an impossible, unthinkable, completely fitting idea – hit him.

"If that's what he really wants, I won't stop him." Apparently that wasn't the answer that Alphonse was expecting, golden eyes searching Roy (much like their elder counterparts often did) for any signs of deception. They wouldn't find any. Much like Roy had earlier that day, he found that it was time to be honest. Well, honest enough. "I'm not trying to tie Ed down, Alphonse. I'm not trying to chain him to the military or better my reputation. Think about it: his reckless actions and brash words are only going to call for a political open fire on me if I tie my name to his." Alphonse's posture became more wary, if possible, and Roy knew that something was breaking through that famous Elric stubbornness. "At the end of the school year, if Fullmetal never wants to see me again, I'll do everything in my power to make that happen." Obsidian made sure to connect with gold. "But if he decides he wants to stay with me, even if he doesn't want to bond," _yet_ "you can't stop him. I'm not asking you to hand your brother over to me. I'm asking you to let me have a chance." Roy waited as Alphonse stared him down, the other man clearly unhappy with the turn this talk had taken. Without warning, Alphonse's face softened, and the young man sunk back into the couch.

"I visited to Maes while you two were in class. He told me not to worry about your living situation because you would never hurt him. Edward can handle his own in a fight with most anyone, so I knew he had to mean emotionally. Brother doesn't much like you, but he's had to deal with plenty of people he doesn't like over the years, and Maes' smile was too soft to be talking about a bad situation. So, I knew he meant good feelings, and I knew he was talking about you. The rest was pretty easy to place." Alphonse sighed, his brilliance shining through even in the dead of night. "Or so I thought. I figured you were trying to seduce him so that he would date you and up your status. He may suck politically, but having the Alchemist of the People on your side never made the polls go _down_." At that point, Alphonse shot Roy a look, and the colonel chuckled lightly at being caught before taking the seat Maes had vacated earlier.

"Don't tell him." Roy's voice was soft in the silence, more than a request but less than a demand. Alphonse looked at him like he was crazy.

"You can't expect me to keep this from—" Roy cut the blonde off, his eyes serious.

"You said it yourself, Alphonse. Fullmetal doesn't like me. What do you think he would do if you marched up to him and said I wanted to bond?" Alphonse looked away, understanding the situation but not liking how it was playing out. "He would reject me in an instant. I know your brother and I aren't that close, but we're getting there. Day by day, we're getting to know each other, and I think it's up to him to decide whether or not I'm worth it when the time comes." Roy stared at Alphonse, even though the blonde wouldn't look up from his tea.

"You know, if I wasn't playing the same waiting game with Winry, I wouldn't be able to agree to this." Alphonse sounded almost as though he, himself, didn't believe that he was actually going along with Roy's request. Golden orbs finally met coal again, this time deadly serious. "If there's even a second where I think this is some game to you – a moment of doubt in your sincerity – I'll oust you without a second thought." A threat Alphonse no doubt _wanted_ to go through with. "I'll tell Brother everything I know, and he… he'll decide on his own from there." Roy allowed a light amount of surprise to show on his features. He had expected the blonde would tell Fullmetal to steer clear of the colonel at that point. "I don't think you're a bad man; not with someone like Maes as a best friend. I'm just worried about—Brother isn't—he doesn't have the same experiences as you or me." Roy cocked a brow, for once not seeing where the conversation was heading. When Alphonse didn't explain further, Roy prodded him on.

"Experiences?" He couldn't think of any experiences that Alphonse and he shared that Ed didn't. Alphonse, displeased with Roy's lack of knowledge, huffed and scratched the back of his head, a habit he no doubt got from his brother.

"That kiss you gave him today? It was his first." Roy's mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out. That couldn't have been Fullmetal's first kiss. The man was a handsome, brilliant, famous, eligible bachelor who spent all of his time on the road. With how much travelling he did, he could have a few new partners a week if he wanted. Surely he must have gotten curious at some point, if not for love than just to see what it was like? Only the look in Alphonse's eyes said differently. Fullmetal wasn't that kind of man, and if Roy's earlier suspicion was right, then…

"He's spent his entire life fighting, learning alchemy and doing the military's bidding, and he's done it with the sole purpose of providing a better life for me in mind. Not a day – _not a single day_ – has gone by that he's focused on himself since our mother passed. He doesn't know how to tell when someone likes him because he doesn't see himself like that. All Brother sees are the people he cares about and ways to protect them. He's…" Alphonse's lips tugged into a frown as he trailed off. "Courting him isn't going to be easy, and I don't intend to make it any easier for you." The blonde sat his tea cup back down and stood, obviously finished with the conversation. "Just be careful with him, okay?" Slowly, Roy nodded, and the final of his houseguests walked up the steps to rest with his family.

The colonel may not have gotten Alphonse's blessing, but he had permission, and he could work with that.


End file.
